


All the Clouds Have Cleared

by singingsweet



Category: Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (TV 2018)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, I just needed them to have more time on screen, McWhoops, One Shot Collection, Rating May Change, bc now there's stuff that mature consenting passionate adults are wont to do in here, or at least it was, so then I did this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-16
Updated: 2019-06-04
Packaged: 2020-01-14 19:43:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 23,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18483082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/singingsweet/pseuds/singingsweet
Summary: A collection of moments between Hilda and Dr. Cerberus.





	1. Sick Day

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I just wanted to say a quick thank you to all of the CAOS fic writers out there for inspiring me to try my hand at all this. As a note for future chapters, these happen some time after everything during Lupercalia unless otherwise noted. 
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own CAOS, nor do I make money from this work. 
> 
> Enjoy the read!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dr. Cee is sick, and Hilda has a little something to make him feel better.

The house creaked and groaned in its usual way as Zelda puffed on her cigarette. A newspaper from Cuba had come in and she’d nearly settled herself down to begin her morning reading when the phone cracked open the quiet with its ringing. Grumbling to herself that it was entirely too early for the dead to call, the Spellman family matriarch clicked her heels to where the phone hung and snatched it up as Hilda came down the stairs to begin on breakfast. A terrible hacking cough erupted on the other end of the receiver to which Zelda rolled her eyes and shoved the phone onto her sister. She couldn’t be expected to be even some semblance of sympathetic until after she’d had her second espresso and third cigarette. 

 

“Spellman Sisters’ Mortuary, Hilda speaking. How may I assist you?” Barely catching the phone on confused fingers, Hilda’s brow furrowed as she, too, heard the bout of coughing. 

 

“Hilda?”

 

She brightened. 

 

“Cee!” Fingers twining around the phone cord, Hilda angled away from the kitchen as best she could knowing full well how her sister had a penchant for hearing things she ought not. “How are you, darling?”

 

“Not too good, I’m afraid,” he said, barely managing to get the words out before he coughed once more. 

 

“You’ve still got that cough, yeah?” She sighed as he hummed the affirmative, stairs creaking behind her. “Oh, dear. You wait a bit and I’ll be right over. I’ll just get breakfast started for this lot and bring you something - ”

 

“No, no - please,” he coughed. “I’ve got some medicine, I’ll be fine. Just - would you mind running the store for me? I know it’s a big job and you’ve only been on for a couple of months, but I’d feel better just knowing you were there.”

 

“It really wouldn’t be any trouble - ”

 

“I know, and I appreciate it and love you for it even more.” A light burst inside her. “But I’ll just worry about you getting sick if you come over and besides,” She could hear him try to smile over the phone. “The kids need their books and milkshakes.”

 

Hilda’s face began to stretch into a grin at the thought of him behind the counter serving customers. “Can’t let the kiddies go without those, can we?” 

 

“Thank you, Hilda,” he said, fighting through his cough. “I owe you one.”

 

“Oh, stop it,” she said, waving her hand about as if he was before her. “Just promise me that you’ll rest up and take your medicine, alright?”

 

“Yes, ma’am.” They shared a chuckled at the title before his tone turned softer. “Have a nice day. I love you.”

 

“Bye, love, and take care.”

 

Gently replacing the phone to its cradle, Hilda turned to see her sister glowering and her nephew smirking at their places at the table. Sneaky little thing must’ve slunk in earlier. Pink cheeked and entirely uninterested in having any kind of conversation that might make her flush even more deeply, Hilda set about making up breakfast. She was behind as it was. Bidding Ambrose to help get the placements out, Hilda moved about her kitchen with the ease of the familiar. The kitchen was her domain, her place of strength. Of course, if Zelda was in the mind for it, it was also one of the most dangerous places in the house with all the knives and blunt objects about, but hopefully her sister would forego any such violent acts this morning. Soon enough, breakfast was laid and Sabrina had finally emerged from her room with headband in place and knuckles rubbing out the sleep from her eyes. 

 

“So,” said Ambrose, smiling too innocently as they all had their plates filled. “Are we to take it that you’ll be keeping the mortal around for the foreseeable future, Auntie?”

 

Sabrina gasped. _“Did he propose?”_

 

“Don’t be ridiculous, Sabrina.” Zelda shook out her newspaper. “He simply asked if she would see to that abomination of a store of his while he’s out sick.”

 

“To answer your question, Ambrose, yes. I do think I’ll be keeping him around,” said Hilda, attempting to speak over her sister’s disdain.

 

“Oh, Auntie Hilda! Dr. Cerberus is really _such_ a nice guy - ”

 

“As mortals go,” Zelda cut in, absolutely murdering her boiled egg.

 

“And you two are _such_ a cute couple.”

 

“Thank you, sweetheart.” Hilda placed a grateful hand onto her niece’s before shooting a glare at her sister. “And Zelds, really. You were just saying that I had to go claim what’s mine - ”

 

Sabrina’s face scrunched. “Ew?”

 

“And I did, and now I have him.” Hilda continued, plowing through the youngest Spellman’s discomfort. “What’s so wrong about that?”

 

“He’s just so - ” Face contorting as she searched her extensive vocabulary to best fit her feelings on the matter, Zelda huffed. _“Normal.”_

 

“And I _like_ that about him. Perhaps if you spent more time with him, you’d see that he’s not as terrible as you think.” Ambrose and Sabrina’s shared look did not go unnoticed by her. “He’s quite charming.”

 

“Must you be so saccharine?” Zelda sighed, for all the world looking as if she were beyond despair. 

 

None of them expected the bite in Hilda’s voice as she countered. 

 

_ “Must you be so judgmental?” _

 

Zelda, affronted, tossed her head. “I’m your older sister, Hildegard. It’s my Satan given right to judge any and _every_ person that you associate yourself with.”

 

“And him being interested in me and me in him isn’t enough?”

 

Zelda sniffed.

 

“There isn’t anyone alive that’s enough for a Spellman.” 

 

The edges of Hilda’s upset softened. _“Oh, Zelds.”_

 

“Now, that’s enough of that. You two,” Zelda said, all at once commanding and gesturing to their niece and nephew as she stood. “Finish up and get a move on to the Academy. Hilda, don’t forget to lock the door and put up the wards when you go out. Best not to have anything mortal or infernal lying in wait when we get back.” 

 

Zelda swept from the room, but not before laying a gentle hand on her sister’s shoulder. Hilda beamed after her as Ambrose smirked into his eggs and Sabrina rattled on about how telling it was that Dr. Cerberus was entrusting the store to her. Hilda waved off the importance of it all citing that she, too, was a business owner and had the most appropriate skill set out of his other employees. Ambrose waggled his brows at her and she swatted him with a napkin before he could say or do anything else inappropriate in front of Sabrina. Her nephew laughed before swooping down to kiss her cheek and also made his way back upstairs to get his things. With only Sabrina left at the table, Hilda prayed that her little one wouldn’t ask anything too embarrassing.

 

“Auntie Hilda?” Sabrina began, cutting into her blueberry pancakes with a thoughtful look on her face.

 

“Yes, lamb?”  _ Please, please, please. _

 

“Since Dr. Cerberus is possessed by a demon, how are you protecting yourself?”

 

Round eyes grew to nearly comical. “I - ”

 

“I mean, sure,” said Sabrina, shrugging a shoulder. “There’s the usual potions and everything for pregnancy and disease, but what if he tries to possess you, too?”

 

“I thank you for being so worried, love, but I have it handled - promise.” 

 

Standing quickly and turning away from the table where Sabrina continued to chew in thought, Hilda let out a quiet breath. They’d told Sabrina that Dr. Cerberus was possessed, but they hadn’t disclosed it was an incubus residing inside him. Zelda had, much to Hilda’s distress, advocated that Sabrina know. She would be learning about incubi in her upcoming coursework, so it only made sense for Sabrina to interview one. Yet, when asked, Zelda had promised not to say anything unless directly questioned. At least she’d not been caught reading up on Damascus steel. That would would’ve been entirely too difficult to explain. Hilda was pulled away from her panic when she felt Sabrina bring her into a quick hug before bidding her goodbye and good luck with the store. 

 

Hilda went through the rest of her morning in a bit of a daze. Mornings were always slow at the shop as she’d learned during that in between time when Cee hadn’t yet told her of his possession. They were the only shifts he’d given her, if any. She would meet him a few minutes before they opened up and he’d excuse himself to his office in the back to supposedly catch up on paperwork. She smiled fondly, now knowing the real reason behind why he’d pulled away from her. She excited him. _He loved her._ What could be better than that? 

 

She hummed a pleased note and bit back a giggle thinking of his kisses as she dusted a shelf. Those were really quite good. Although she hadn’t gone all the way - _as it were_ \- she’d had a few kisses in her time and was getting frequent practice nowadays. She knew she was a bit shy about it all, but Cee never demanded anything from her. Of course he’d flirt and tease, but neither of them felt any kind of fear or pressure with the bracelet dangling about his wrist. A part of her thanked Satan for Zelda’s insight into how he could tame the demon and was especially grateful that it now fed into Cee’s peace of mind, but she wouldn’t ever tell her sister that. 

 

The afternoon soon came and Dr. Cerberus’ other employees arrived. After all three of them had faced the after school rush, Hilda bid them a good night and made her way home to make dinner. Dinner was always a favorite of Hilda’s. It was the crash of the day coming back together and filling the kitchen with chatter and laughter that made her feel the most at home. Zelda would sigh about the state of the coven, Ambrose would go on about his most recent experiments, and Sabrina would groan about her latest teenage melodrama. All the people she loved most settling down to a meal that she’d made. Tonight as she bustled around the kitchen and gave Sabrina strict instructions on when to bring the food out of of the oven, Hilda packed up an extra special set of cookies to go. 

 

She’d made them before starting dinner not having baked this recipe in quite a while and wanting to give them more attention and time to cool before she left the house. Dodging the knowing looks of her family, Hilda turned her nephew’s attention to a plate of sweets on the counter having anticipated his pout if he didn’t get at least a tray for himself. She returned his broad grin with one of her own before ducking out into the night with cookies in tow. 

 

Cee’s house was modest compared to the sprawl of the Spellman manor, but she liked it. Sage green with a white picket fence and a trellis up the side of the house, she could easily see him picking up the newspaper from his stoop here. Hilda brushed a lock of hair from her eyes and rolled her shoulders back before knocking. She’d not been invited, but she didn’t see any harm in coming over to her special someone’s place when he was feeling so under the weather. Through the door, Hilda heard a dull thud and she winced. _That couldn’t be good._ The door swung open to reveal Cee in a plain white t-shirt, pajama bottoms, and a thick robe clutching one of his feet as he leaned against the doorframe. Even through his obvious pain and sickness, he still smiled at her.

 

“Hilda!” He managed before coughing into his elbow and gingerly putting his foot down. “What are you doing here? You’ll get sick.”

 

She shook her head, smiling at her sweet mortal man as she lifted a hand to cup his dear face. “I’m a witch, love. I don’t get your type of illnesses.” She bit her lip trying to hold back a grin as she watched the relief that spread over him.

 

“Thank goodness for that. Please,” he coughed. “Come in, if you’d like. Are those cookies?” He asked as he ushered her in through the door. 

 

Although she’d not visited the homes of mortals too often in her many years, Cee seemed to be right in the middle with regards to cleanliness. His things were neat, but it was clear that the space was used regularly with signs of wear along the edges. She took in the horror paraphernalia collected on shelves, a stack of books on his coffee table, his vampire cloak slung over the back of an armchair. A blanket was half on the floor from where he must have been resting on the couch with a tissue box and a water bottle as accompaniments on the side table. Seeing a shoe rack near the door, Hilda slipped out of her red Mary Janes and followed him through to his kitchen.

 

“They are, yes, and they just happen to have a little magic something in them to make your cough go away.” Her voice came out tight despite her best efforts to remain as bright and bubbly as usual. She hoped that he didn’t detect any of her newfound nervousness at finding herself alone with a man she fancied. 

 

A furrow developed between his brows with a slight lift of his mouth showing his appreciation. “Hilda, you didn’t have to, really.”

 

“I wanted to.” Placing them on the counter, she gave his kitchen a once over. Cozy. “Shall I make some tea to go with them? Tea is always a help in  _ my  _ very humble opinion.”

 

He laughed at her tone and she felt herself warm to the sound. “How about I eat these and make  _ you _ a cup of tea for being so amazing?”

 

“I wouldn’t have any issue with that,” she chirped, watching as he took the first few bites. “I can also whip something up for your foot. Stubbed it, did you, darling?”

 

Cerberus breathed deep, his eyes widening at how clear his lungs and throat were before turning to Hilda with awe in his eyes. “Wow,” he laughed as he took another deep breath and let it out slowly. “I did - trying to get the door - but don’t worry about that. I’m making you tea, Hilda Spellman. Try and stop me.”

 

“Whatever you say, Dr. Cee,” she said, a chuckle painting her words. Hand holding up her chin as she leaned on the table, Hilda watched as he went about getting the tea things and rejoiced internally seeing him bring out a kettle from nowhere. _“A man after my own heart.”_

 

“I try,” he said simply before smiling at her over his shoulder. “Nothing but the best for you.”

 

Hilda felt herself blush. “You’ll spoil a girl if you keep that up.”

 

“Would that be so bad?” He asked as he put the kettle to boil and joined her at the table, large hand moving over her arm in long strokes. 

 

“Not bad at all.”

 

The kettle whistled. 


	2. Five Times, One Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Five times that Sabrina caught them, and one time she didn't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I'm back again with another installment. I personally feel like this one starts back in Part One, even before the Greendale Thirteen, but moves forward from there. I've honestly never done a five times / one time style fic, but I hope you like it! Not nearly as scandalous as it sounds, a huge bit of fluff. Enjoy the read!

**_First_ **

Sabrina settled into their booth and rummaged around her bag for a pencil as she and her friends went about getting their homework done. They absolutely loved Cerberus’. A vintage diner combined with a spooky bookshop? There really wasn’t anything like it. Things had gotten even better ever since her Aunt Hilda had begun to work there. Cerberus always had decent food, but with Aunt Hilda’s baking, Sabrina could count on quality _and_ quantity. Nothing spoiled an afternoon like hearing the cupcake you’d daydreamed of in fourth period had been sold an hour before you’d gotten there. Smiling up at her auntie when she came around to take their orders, Sabrina caught sight of Dr. Cee himself smiling after her. It was a little jarring to see a vampire all doe eyed at the bride of Frankenstein, but it was sweet.

 

Sabrina pressed her lips together to keep her smile from stretching out over her face as she wondered if he knew he looked so love struck. From the corner of her eye, the good doctor heaved a sigh before turning to the coffee machines. After a little while and much head scratching later - sacred geometry was _so_ much easier than regular geometry - Sabrina stood up to give her legs a little stretch. The booths were cozy, but could be cramped sometimes. She nodded along as her friends chatted about the newest gossip at school and took a peek over at the coffee counter. It seemed her Auntie Hilda had just finished up wiping it down before Dr. Cerberus came out from the back with a couple milkshakes on a tray. The young witch spotted extra whipped cream and sprinkles on one and excused herself from her friends. Sidling along one of the bookshelves to better hear what they were saying, she cast a spell to quiet her feet.

 

“Oh, Dr. Cee, how thoughtful.” Sabrina heard her aunt say with just the slightest of blushes at her cheeks as she eyed the milkshake, extra sprinkles and all.

 

“It was no problem, really - we have extra ice cream from the last shipment, so I thought, hey, what’s a little middle of the week treat?”

 

Sabrina grinned seeing them clink their glasses together. Her auntie was careful as she went in for the straw not to knock over the mountain of whipped cream on top - but there it was. With her aunt’s attention on the milkshake, Dr. Cerberus’ smile was gentle as his gaze moved over her aunt’s face. _Eyes, nose, mouth, cheek, chin._ He had yet to take a sip of his own milkshake. Aunt Hilda tilted her head from side to side, clearly enjoying her drink before she lifted her gaze to his. Her lashes fluttered in confusion and Sabrina covered her mouth to stifle her giggle before Roz called out her name and the two adults jumped apart.

 

“Brina, could you grab us a couple more napkins, please?”

 

Her cover blown, Sabrina came out from her hiding place and smiled as genuinely as possible all the while taking in Dr. Cee’s guilt-ridden expression and her auntie’s knit brow.

 

* * *

 

**_Second_ **

Walking home from spending some time with Roz, Sabrina breathed in the coming spring. Flowers were beginning to bloom in their planters and the usual afternoon chill was beginning to lift. It was quiet save for the odd car rumbling past and the chatter of kids on the other side of the street. As was her way, Sabrina stopped in front of Dr. Cerberus’ Books and Spirits to see what might be new in the window. The display had tarot cards, a particularly grotesque goblin mask, and different horror themed games. She was going to move on when something in the store caught her eye. Turning circles around the store was Dr. Cee with her Auntie Hilda in his arms. He had his arm loosely around her lower back, her hand held delicately in his.

 

They danced in time to the music and although Sabrina couldn’t hear it, she was sure her aunt was humming along. Her auntie absolutely loved music and used to sing songs from across the eras to her when she was little. Sabrina learned how to dance by standing on Ambrose’s toes while Aunt Hilda sang and Auntie Zee came in to harmonize. Ambrose would joke about how she’d be the darling of the coven before throwing her up into the air and swinging her about. Aunt Zelda would scold him for being reckless and Aunt Hilda would pluck her from his hold to spin her about just the same.

 

Sabrina didn’t see her aunt dance much any more, but it seemed like she was enjoying herself. Dr. Cerberus spoke softly into her aunt’s ear as they swayed, her Aunt Hilda turning under his arm. Sabrina knew her older aunt would scoff at how domestic and positively _mortal_ the scene was while Ambrose would hoot his approval, but she wouldn’t tell them. It was too private a moment. Just as she decided to head home, Aunt Hilda said something that made Dr. Cee laugh. The points of his vampire collar wiggled about as his shoulders shook. He held her closer and replied something that made her aunt’s eyes go wide before twirling her and ending in a dip. The look of surprise and joy on her face spoke volumes as he smiled down at her, pressing his brow to hers. Sabrina grinned. Her aunt was happy.

 

* * *

 

**_Third_ **

Leaving Roz and Harvey in a row of their own, Sabrina and Theo moved down a few to where they knew would be a good couple of spots. It was movie night, but since the reviews for this flick had said that it had romantic undertones, the four of them had mutually decided on pairing off. Slinging her bag down into the seat next to her, Sabrina offered out the popcorn she’d gotten to Theo. Smiling his thanks right as the lights dimmed to begin the movie, the two began to dig in. At a particularly funny part in the movie that had her tipping the bag of popcorn as she laughed, Theo nudged her with an elbow in the side. Quietly apologizing for having made a mess, Sabrina massaged her cheek with her free hand to ease away some of the strain from the muscles. Theo shook his head, and jerked his head towards a couple a few rows in front of them. Squinting in the dark, Sabrina lifted a brow at Theo as he slumped down in his seat and gestured for her to do the same.

 

“What is it?” She whispered, pushing some more popcorn into her mouth.

 

“Isn’t that your Aunt Hilda and Dr. Cerberus?” Theo’s glee at having spotted the two was written all over his freckled face.

 

Sabrina popped her head up to take a look at the people in front of her. The taller one had curly hair like Dr. Cee, but her auntie couldn’t be out at the movies. She shook her head.

 

“Can’t be, Auntie said that she was working late tonight.”

 

“Well, it’s past the store’s closing, maybe they came here after?”

 

Frowning, Sabrina edged her head back up like a periscope. In front of her, the smaller of the two turned their head and there was the undeniable profile of her aunt whispering into Dr. Cee’s ear. Sabrina sunk back down.

 

“It _is_ her!” Sabrina snapped, as outraged as she could be in a movie theatre. _“Sneaking out at night with a guy.”_

 

“Way to go, Aunt Hilda,” Theo cheered quietly, good naturedly smirking over at Sabrina.

 

_“Theo.”_

 

“What?” Theo countered.

 

Sabrina continued to pout.

 

“She’s like, what, two hundred? And a witch? And she’s the one with the spiders, right? C’mon, Brina,” Theo nudged her once more. “Like _you’ve_ never spent a little too long with a guy when you should’ve been home. And, may I add, we _like_ Dr. Cee - remember?”

 

Sabrina grumbled and chewed on some more popcorn, absently watching the screen as the actors fought. Still hunkered down in her seat, she could barely see the two of them, but it seemed that they were stealing glances at each other. Sabrina sighed. _Adorable._ Her Aunt Hilda deserved a night out with the guy she liked and, really, where was the harm? Theo was right, they probably ended up here after having worked late, so her auntie hadn’t actually lied to her. _Hadn’t lied to her at all._ She sighed again and Theo took some popcorn from the bag. _Popcorn._ The idea half formed in her mind, Sabrina sat up straight in her seat and flung a small handful at the side of him away from her auntie.

 

A few scant pieces bouncing off his ear and shoulder, Cerberus startled and her Aunt Hilda looked over at him. Sabrina didn’t doubt that her auntie had nothing but care and concern in her eyes. From the looks of things, he smiled away the awkwardness before turning back to try and find the hoodlum who’d thrown popcorn at him. Sabrina waved widely at him and Theo whispered his own concern at what was cooking in her brain. She hushed him before making a show of putting her arm around Theo’s shoulders, asking him to just go with it. Thoroughly understanding the plan now, Theo exaggerated clasping his hands beneath his chin and laid his head onto Sabrina’s shoulder. With Dr. Cerberus not making any move to do as they suggested, Sabrina pointed directly to her aunt and then at Theo who was still resting his head on her shoulder.

 

The light from the screen reflecting on his smiling face, Dr. Cee turned back to the front and brought his arm around Aunt Hilda.

 

* * *

 

**_Fourth_ **

Coming home from the Academy, Sabrina felt like her head was going to explode. She’d been surrounded by the coven and witch lore since she could remember, but who’d known that there were just so many classes of demon? Nick had offered to let her borrow his flashcards, but she turned him down with thanks. She always learned more effectively when she made her own study materials. Eyes bleary, she bent down just a bit to scratch Salem between the ears before just about dragging her bag behind her as she walked into the kitchen. She heard her Aunt Hilda coo over what a tired little lamb she must be and nodded at the offer of her aunt making her a midnight snack. She sank into her chair at the table and nearly fell out of it as she turned and saw Dr. Cerberus pulling ingredients out from the fridge.

 

“Sandwich alright, Sabrina?” He asked, lifting up a loaf of her Auntie Hilda’s homemade bread.

 

She could do nothing but stare at him. Did he know he wasn’t wearing his vampire costume? That he didn’t have the eyeliner on? The cloak? He was wearing a sweater and jeans. Did horror hosts even _own_ jeans?

 

Sabrina nodded.

 

“What’s it the kids say nowadays? Let’s get this bread?”

 

Her auntie’s face pinched in confusion.

 

“...But you have it there, darling.”

 

As Dr. Cerberus explained the phrase to her aunt as best he could, Sabrina continued to stare at them. Sleeves pushed up, he sliced up the loaf while her aunt went about preparing the ingredients to make up the middles. She heard her Aunt Hilda tell him about the different slang she’d learned throughout the centuries and watched as she held out a bit of cheese for him to taste. Her auntie laughed when he took hold of her elbow and plucked off the morsel straight from her fingertips with teeth and lips alone. Even when Cee slid the plate in front of her and the two walked off hand in hand towards the parlour, Sabrina still couldn’t believe what she’d seen.

 

* * *

  

**_Fifth_ **

She tried not to giggle as she hid behind her book at the kitchen table. Sabrina had meant for this weekend to be filled with studying and reading, but everything that was unfolding in front of her was too good to miss. In recent weeks, Dr. Cee had been coming over to take baking and cooking lessons from Aunt Hilda. They’d spend half the day at the bookstore and the rest of the day whisking up a storm. Auntie Hilda had even made him his own apron to hang right beside hers on the peg. It had little fangs on the front pocket. When Aunt Zelda had seen them together, she’d rolled her eyes and blazed up a cigarette before Aunt Hilda had shooed her out of the kitchen before any smoke could get into the food. In Sabrina’s point of view, he really wasn’t too bad - it was just that with having been alive for a couple of centuries, her aunt just happened to be better.

 

They would have disputes over measurements and who got to use the good knives, pick fights over whether or not they’d put too little salt into the stew. Sabrina had seen her aunties bicker and argue before, but her Aunt Hilda seemed to come alive whenever Dr. Cerberus challenged her. He never tried to belittle her or her experience when they quarreled, he simply asked why. Of course, sometimes he would ask her why too many times and then she’d flick flour at him to get him to shush. The aftermath of one such time had been a floury mess that Salem had enjoyed padding around on. Auntie Zee hadn’t been half as pleased. The kitchen timer went off and Sabrina lifted her book a little higher.

 

Her Aunt Hilda reached for the handle of their cast iron oven and Sabrina watched as Dr. Cee’s lips pressed into a white line. By now he knew that the metal had been charmed not to burn flesh, but they’d lost a pie in the process after he’d wrenched her aunt away thinking that he was saving her from an injury. _Poor pie._ When her aunt’s hand closed around the handle without fear and swung open the door, Sabrina could all but see the anxiety leave him in his next breath. She tapped her pencil against her chin. Even though he was possessed by a demon, Sabrina supposed he really _was_ still learning about the occult and the extent of their magic. If she was in his shoes, she might also feel uncomfortable seeing the person she liked all but stick their hand into a fire. Thankfully, she wasn’t.

 

“Oh, Hilda, they’re perfect!” Dr. Cerberus said, wonder coating every letter he spoke. “I don’t think mine would ever look this good.”

 

“A little practice, and I’m sure they’d put mine to shame, but - ” she paused, picking up one of the little treats between her thumb and forefinger. “We still have to taste them.”

 

Lifting up their prize between them, Sabrina saw her auntie smile with pink in her cheeks. Dr. Cee returned her grin before leaning down for the sweet as Sabrina had seen him do dozens of times. He closed his eyes, and just as it brushed his lips Aunt Hilda snatched it back before popping it into her mouth unceremoniously.

 

“Hilda!”

 

“Cee!”

 

The way her aunt mimicked his shock had Sabrina biting down on her lip for fear of bursting out laughing. Her auntie had the most disingenuous smile on her face as she chewed and swallowed the tidbit. Before Sabrina knew what was happening, her Aunt Hilda turned away quick as a whip, but not fast enough. Dr. Cerberus had his arms around her and Aunt Hilda squealed, high and light. One arm holding her tight to his chest and the other tickling her sides, Dr. Cerberus said words into her ear that Sabrina couldn’t quite hear and most likely things she didn’t really want to know. The bubble of merriment was brought back to reality when Aunt Zelda skidded to a stop before them in her spiked heels, hands pulsating with protective magics. Sabrina returned to her reading as she heard Auntie Zee huff.

 

_“Honestly.”_

 

* * *

  

**_Once_ **

It was a comfortable silence that blanketed over them as Dr. Cerberus drove her home. He’d been such a dear for asking, and she almost declined knowing she could just teleport herself back, but he’d looked at her with those dark eyes of his and she couldn’t say no. Hilda had laughed aloud and had felt the corner of her eyes crinkle when he asked for her wig and had buckled it down into the backseat before opening up the door for her. He’d blushed when she’d called him a gentleman and she couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen something more charming. Now, they were listening to some big band radio with a host who was adopting a transatlantic accent and it was nice. Perfect and nice. All too soon, they were coming up the manor’s drive and he was coming around to open her door.

 

Cee handed her down from his car and the touch of her hand in his made him all the more grateful that she’d fashioned him the Damascus steel bracelet. The entire car ride would have been torture enough even without an incubus inside him. She’d not been speaking, but her usual bubbly aura had filled the space between them and it had taken a great deal of restraint not to have reached out for her hand while he drove. Then she’d started humming. It was quiet, nearly blending in with the dull roar of the engine, and he was almost certain that she’d not noticed she was doing it. She would hum a few notes, sing a couple of words, tap her fingers against her legs. Gentle, _soft_ \- much like her.

 

Tearing his gaze away from where her hand rested in his, he retrieved the wig from the backseat and tucked it under his arm as they turned towards the house. Cee nearly dropped it when he felt her fingers brush against his and knitted together her fingers with his own. He stole a glance over at her and saw how the moonlight reflected off the high flush in her cheeks, the way she kept her eyes strictly on where her feet led. Hilda chanced a smile at him when he gave her fingers a slight squeeze. They reached the foot of the stairs and he handed her back the wig as she raised herself onto the first step, the black and white mass nearly half as tall as she was.

 

Neither of them moved away.

 

“I like your voice,” he said when he realized he’d been staring into her eyes for far too long. “You sang so beautifully in the car.”

 

A corner of the wig crumpled under her nervous palm and she began to shake her head in apology. “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t - ”

 

“No, no - ” he took up her hand once again and brought it to his lips. “Don’t be sorry.”

 

Her gaze swept down to where he continued to brush kisses against her knuckles before taking that hand and running her fingers over his hair. She twisted a curl around her finger, pulling it taught before letting it spring back and he adored the way her nails scratched against him when she ran her hand through. Cerberus had never seen her eyes so blue.

 

“I think I could use a little more convincing.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that this chapter was lengthy, but chapters coming up may not be, so please bear with me! And yes, for clarification - between Fourth and Fifth, I see that time as Hilda bringing Cee more into the lives of the Spellman house and Fourth just being jarring for Sabrina in particular since he's out here in normal people clothes and she's dead tired from school, lol. 
> 
> Thank you for reading, and please leave any questions, feedback, or prompts that you have! 
> 
> My question for you: what's the ship name for Hilda x Dr. Cerberus? Cilda? I think it sounds cute, but I wanted to hear what you all thought :)


	3. Makeover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A makeover goes awry when Hilda and Dr. Cerberus find themselves alone for the first time in ages.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE RATING HAS GONE UP! It's just a bit of heavy kissing, but I'm rusty and panicked and I couldn't help myself so I'll just show myself out. Enjoy the read!

“ - bit of a brow, and we’re done!” 

 

Dr. Cerberus cracked open an eye as the slight pressure against his skin lifted away and he saw Hilda standing before him with an eyebrow pencil in hand. He’d asked her the other week if she might have some ideas to spiff up his vampire costume and she’d brought along some makeup for him to try after the store closed. Hilda had asked him to sit at one of the gravestone stools at the counter so she could reach more easily, and he’d happily obliged. It had been a long day at the store and the last time he’d been able to sit was ages ago during a rushed lunch. Hilda had fussed over him, insisting that he take the full time, but as it was most weekends, there’d been a wave of customers coming in for a bite and he couldn’t just leave her to attend them all by herself. Both eyes now open, he watched as her nose crinkled as she smiled, all too pleased with her handiwork. He smiled back at her, his hands coming to rest gently over her waist. 

 

Hilda gave his chest a pat and wondered if it was his heart beating fast under her hand or her own. “A properly friendly and dashing vampire you are, Dr. Cee.”

 

“All thanks to you.” 

 

“Want to take a look?” She asked too brightly, not looking at him as she reached for the mirror she’d brought and left on the counter. 

 

Cerberus stopped her with a hand over hers and Hilda felt her breath catch in her throat at the way he dragged his gaze up her arm, over her chest, and into her eyes. The steel was still securely around his wrist and she had no fears for the demon inside him, but she worried about the growing feeling inside of her. They hadn’t been this close in days. Between customers they’d shared glances and touches, a few stolen kisses when they got the chance, but she wasn’t sure if she’d ever felt the air this thick. She could hear the spring rain patter on the windows and her own shallow breathing mix with his. He moved his hand over her side with aching slowness and she bit back a sigh. Cee’s palm was hot, even through her cardigan, and all she wanted to do was close her eyes and lean in to the feeling of his fingers cresting over her curves, but she didn’t want to miss the way he was looking at her. His eyes were the deep, dark brown that made her weak in the knees and they were becoming increasingly black. Finally, he shook his head.

 

_ “I want to drink your blood.”  _

 

Were she not breathless, she might have laughed. 

 

“You do?”

 

Cerberus took her hand in the one not yet set to task and brought her wrist to his mouth with only a sliver of space saving her from his touch. His thumb ran circles over her pulse and her teeth sunk into her lip. 

 

“I want to have a taste of you.” His voice was so low, she could feel it in her bones. “May I?”

 

Hilda nodded and he pressed a kiss to her veins. All at once it felt like hellfire was in her blood. Any kiss she’d had before, any touch that she’d had in her years - none of them had felt like this. She sucked in a harsh breath feeling the wet of his tongue lick an inch of her skin. His eyes were on her, she knew, but she couldn’t look away from where he laid his lips. Cerberus moved to kiss the palm of her hand, the tips of her fingers, and she felt she finally knew what it really meant to be adored. The hand at her side squeezed, just slightly, and she gasped with her blue eyes seeking out his brown. There was a question there. Her heart clenched before she nodded and she saw his shoulders release their burden. Laying her free hand onto his knee, Hilda steeled herself before urging him in her silence to spread his legs wider so she could stand between them. He gave her no resistance, easily bringing her into the circle of his arms as if they’d done this hundreds of times. She felt him sigh and her eyes slid shut feeling for all the world like this was where she was always meant to be. 

 

The rain continued to pound on the glass and Cerberus felt like it was nothing compared to the beat of his heart against his ribs. Hilda was soft and sexy beneath his hands and he did his best not to linger too long on where he could feel the hint of her bra and underwear lest he get ahead of himself. He could still taste her on the tip of his tongue from when he’d been too eager and allowed himself a chance at her.  _ Sugar and herbs. _ Whenever she was close, it always seemed the space between them was scented with something and he could rest easy now knowing where it came from. Lifting her wrist once more to his mouth, Cee watched her as he nipped at her skin and her brow crinkled, her beautiful lips parting and shaping into the most tempting little circle he’d ever seen. He kissed the spot now that evidence of his nibble was blooming in red before leaning in to press kisses to her temple and moving her hand to his hair.

 

“You’re okay?” He asked, although they both knew that his eyes had asked as much before. 

 

“Yeah,” she chuckled, her fingers combing through his hair. “Right as rain, me.”

 

His lips moved to her jaw, the space just below her ear. “Just tell me to stop when it’s too much.”

 

“Cee - ” His kisses were making her lightheaded. 

 

“Please, Hilda.” He pulled back to look into her eyes, his own half lidded but steady on her. “Promise me.”

 

With her hand in his hair, she lifted up onto her toes - just enough to brush her lips over his brow. 

 

“I promise.”

 

She caught a glimpse of his smile before his arms were around her and his mouth had found hers. Hilda’s vision went black as her eyes slid closed at the kiss, reveling in how it felt to have someone she cared for care for her in return. Dr. Cerberus’ lips were insistent and she did her best to keep up, still out of practice, but wanting wholeheartedly to know more. She twisted his hair through her fingers and kissed him with a grinning mouth at the way he’d gasped. It felt good to know that she could make him breathless, that he could want this moment with her. His hands against her back were spread wide, flexing every so often and she could feel the way her cardigan grew tight whenever he had the fabric in his hands. Cee groaned against her mouth and tilted his head, so in love with the way her full lips felt under his. 

 

Nearly from the first time he’d met her had he wanted to bring her close and kiss her, but nothing in his imaginings had been like this. The wonderful roundness of her, the sounds she made, they nearly tore him apart. He could listen to her moan and sigh like this all day. They kissed for minutes more and Cerberus startled at the slight flick of her tongue against the seam of his lips. He felt Hilda begin to duck her head and pull away, but he held her to him and eased open her mouth. His name on her tongue sent a thrill through him as they touched, and he did his best to go slowly, but it was difficult with the way she moved in his arms. With Hilda pressing her chest against him, her middle bumped up against the strain between his legs. Cee bit back a grunt and moved his kisses to her chin, her cheek, and once more to her jaw. 

 

Hilda protested the change in direction with her hand in his hair attempting to bring him back up to meet her with a tug, but then his lips were on her neck. These kisses weren’t as feverish, weren’t as frantic. They were sensual. His lips ghosted over her neck in patterns that could’ve been named lazy if it weren’t for the fact he was whispering her name against her skin. He chanted her name like his very own spell, and Hilda found she didn’t want to counter it at all. She tilted her head back and sighed. 

 

Cee ran a line of kisses across the neckline of her dress, and her own fingers left his hair to seek out the knot of his ascot. Much as she thoroughly enjoyed how the silky red fabric looked on him, it was time it came off. She wasn’t too sure of the mechanics behind such things, and pressed her nails into her palms willing herself to stop shaking. Cee wasn’t making things any easier with the way his hands had moved down to grip at the backs of her thighs, his lips brushing over the swell of her breasts. Her name, now muffled, sent a jolt to the center of her. Hilda shifted in his arms and rested her brow against the crown of his head as he kissed her. She did her best not to choke him as she worked the fabric off, laughing as it slid away and he sat back in his shock. Exposed to her now was a slice of his chest framed on both sides by the white of his shirt. With frightfully excited fingertips, Hilda reached out and laid her hand against what she could of his bare chest. He was warm, solid. 

 

“Hilda?” The way he said her name now was more of a question than a revelation. 

 

“Yes, love?” It was her turn to trace nonsense patterns on his skin. 

 

His voice was rough as he said, “Come home with me.”

 

The clock chimed the hour and her fingers lay still against him. She shook her head. She should have been home ages ago, should have been tidying up the kitchen by now. Hilda refused to look into his eyes. With her hand directly against his skin, she’d felt the moment his heart had lurched when she’d rejected him. Cee said nothing, only nodding and reaching for her other hand. He kissed her knuckles, pulled her cardigan and dress back into place. 

 

“Cee,” she halted. “Cee, I’m - ”

 

“Don’t worry about it,” he said easily, taking both of her hands in his to give them a squeeze. “Really - you have responsibilities, and I get that.” 

 

Spotting his ascot discarded on the counter, Hilda reached for it and made to loop it back around his neck, but he shook his head with a shy smile. 

 

“Keep it. Maybe - maybe, think of me?”

 

“I always think of you, love.” Loosely tying it around her own neck, she smiled at the way Cerberus tried to fix her hair. “Get home safe, will you?”

 

“Of course, we’re working on your knitting tomorrow. Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

 

Slipping into his arms again, she sighed as she settled her head onto his shoulder. “We are, yes.”

 

Cee hugged her to him and breathed her in.  _ Sugar and herbs.  _ He wouldn’t deny that that he was disappointed, but he understood how families like theirs worked. She had two children and a sister who needed her. How could he come between that? When she’d told him how old she really was, he’d balked, unsure of what that might mean for them. He’d gone home that night and resolved to take one day at a time. _And tomorrow was knitting day._ He smiled to himself before easing his hold on her.

 

“Now get home before one of your family members comes looking for you and hexes me into the next century for making you late for dinner,” he said, kissing the corner of her mouth. “Goodnight, Hilda.”

 

She blushed a smile and was gone. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I literally stressed over this so much I nearly didn't post it, but I hope it's okay! The whole "I want to drink your blood" line was some corny ish that I thought Cerberus would say to try and lighten up the mood since they're both a little nervous about things for different reasons. Please feel free to leave comments and prompts for things you'd like to see! After this, we're moving back towards fluff stuff! Thank you for reading!


	4. Easier

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hilda and Dr. Cee go out on the town and have a very important discussion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, friends! This one is ...................incredibly long, but I hope it's alright. Enjoy the read!

“Auntie? Where are you going?”

 

Sabrina’s question cut through the bustle of the kitchen as her Aunt Zelda and cousin, Ambrose, looked up from the table to spot Hilda turning and beginning to make for the door. The family had all sat down for dinner, a spread made by none other than their very own Auntie Hilda, but it seemed that she wouldn’t be joining them. All evening she’d been a bit on edge and they’d known something was off when she’d not greeted them as cheerfully as she usually would. Hilda had seen her sister throw her questioning looks as she whipped up their dinner, but Zelda had said nothing, preferring to sit and wait until Hilda revealed just what it was that was putting her in such a state. The children, on the other hand, had tried to engage their younger aunt in conversation and had been met with distracted answers, smiles a bit strained at the edges. 

 

Brushing her hair away from her face, Hilda gave Sabrina’s shoulder a little squeeze. “Oh, just out, love - don’t you worry.”

 

“Should we expect you back before the witching hour?” Asked Ambrose as he plated himself up a slice of quiche. 

 

“Maybe, I’m not entirely sure,” Hilda replied before noticing his napkin beginning to slip from his lap  “Ambrose, darling, your - ”

 

“Hildegard, are those Mother’s earrings?” The question was asked with a lifted brow, a piercing stare. 

 

Hilda brought her chin up. “Yes, I’m - I’m borrowing them for the evening,” she explained, cursing herself for her wobbling words. 

 

“Quite an occasion for you to wear Mother’s earrings, is it, Hilda?” The older witch asked, tapping a finger against the scrubbed surface of the table and not once letting her gaze falter.

 

“If you must know, Cee - ” 

 

Zelda scoffed at the pet name. 

 

“Asked me out on a date, and I said yes.”

 

“A date!” Sabrina cried, clapping her hands together as Ambrose bumped their aunt’s elbow with a gentle push of his hand and a grin.

 

“Yes,” Hilda smiled with a pink sweep across her cheeks, picking up Ambrose’s napkin that had fallen in all the excitement. She gently swatted him with it before dropping it into his open hand. “And you lot  _ will  _ be nice to him when he comes.”

 

Her sister’s stony exterior cracked into a smirk. “I’m sure  _ you’d  _ be nice to him when he comes.”

 

_ “Zelda!”  _

 

Sabrina and Ambrose howled with laughter. 

 

Hilda huffed. “Right, you two watch her. I’m going up to change.”

 

With crimson cheeks, Hilda hurried away from the kitchen, resigned to the fact that her sister’s teasing had taken a different tack as of late. She minded this niggling far less than her sister literally murdering her, but that was just the way of things with Zelda. If she didn’t care, she wouldn’t be trying so hard. The thought was like a balm, and Hilda went about her preparations with it in mind. After all, her sister had been the one to encourage her to pursue Dr. Cerberus. She’d had her crushes throughout the years, of course she had, but it had been the first time in a handful of decades that she’d ever initiated things. She hadn’t even told Zelda about the kiss after the Greendale Thirteen had torn through the town. It was a bold move, and she couldn’t even begin to imagine the teasing should her big sister ever find out. Then again, Zelda might just puff up with pride as she had during the mortal Valentine’s Day. Hilda caught sight of the dress she’d worn that night as she looked through her closet and ran a fond hand over the material before pushing it aside. 

 

She’d felt powerful in it, like the huntress Zelda had said she was, but that was then. Now, she wanted to be herself. There wasn’t anything wrong with dressing up and playing a bit of a role once in a while, but it wasn’t what she needed tonight. Fingers passing over dresses and cardigans in varying shades and patterns, she thought of Cee and sighed. He liked her,  _ loved her, _ for who she was - even after learning she was a witch. She didn’t need to be anything more than who she was. Settling on her maroon blazer and the red plaid wrap dress she’d worn to her interview with him for the store, Hilda freshened up her makeup and headed back down. She was about to head out onto the landing when she heard the door creaking open and Ambrose inviting Cerberus in with a near overly jovial manner. 

 

“Just this way, good sir. Aunt Hilda will be with us in a moment.”

 

“Thank you,” Hilda heard Cee hesitate.  _ “Ambrose, right?” _

 

Her nephew laughed from his belly. “Right you are, Dr. Cerberus, but no need to impress me. My cousin and auntie already speak so highly of you.”

 

“I’m glad to hear it. Is - is your Aunt Zelda around?”

 

“She is!” Sabrina’s sweet voice rang out, and Hilda could almost see her niece’s smile. “I can go get her for you - ”

 

“Oh, I wouldn’t want to bother her, but would you mind giving this to her?”

 

Ambrose let out a low whistle. “You may gain some favor with  _ this,  _ Doctor.”

 

“Hilda had mentioned that Zelda was a bit of a connoisseur, so I thought she might enjoy it.”

 

“Attempting to get me drunk?” Her sister’s heels clicking across the foyer were unmistakable. 

 

“Just thought I’d share - I got it on a trip with my brothers, so I thought it would be appropriate, from one eldest sibling to another.” 

 

From her place hidden at the top of the stairs, Hilda held her breath. 

 

“Then I needn’t remind you of what’s to come if anything happens to her.”

 

“No, but I don’t intend to treat her with anything but care and respect.”

 

Zelda hummed a flat note before raising her voice and Hilda knew she’d been found out. “Sister, do come down from there and receive your caller before I replace some of his appendages.”

 

Hilda rolled her eyes before descending, absolutely hating the way her family was watching her. Sabrina was fit to burst and Ambrose didn’t make any effort to restrain his amusement. She slid her gaze to Cee and chuckled, shaking her head. The man had brought her a basket of produce. He smiled at her and she was relieved to find no traces of fear on him. Zelda had a particular way of putting the fear of Satan into someone when she wasn’t pleased with them, but from the way her sister was cradling her new bottle of whisky, they could at least say that he held his own. As she neared, Dr. Cerberus stepped forward and pressed an easy kiss to her cheek, thoroughly enjoying her little grin. 

 

“For you, madam,” he said, presenting her with the basket.

 

Her sister lifted a haughty brow. “You do know that she grows her own vegetables and what not?”

 

“I think it’s sweet, Zelds,” Hilda said, placing a gentle hand onto his arm, her blue eyes sparkling.  _ “Thank you, darling.” _

 

Cerberus gave a comfortable shrug, his free hand coming up to rest against her back. “I just thought you should get to taste the fruits of your labor.”

 

The roll of Zelda’s eyes was nearly audible as she headed up the stairs. 

 

“Oh, it was nothing, really,” the younger of the aunts said. “Just a few pesticide charms here and there.”

 

“And I thank you, Hilda Spellman.” Cerberus turned this way and that, his eyes searching. “Shall I get your coat?”

 

Sabrina appeared at his elbow with one of Hilda’s coats even before Dr. Cee had finished asking his question, more than excited for her auntie to go out on a date. He was helping her into it when the Spellman matriarch let her voice ring through the hall. 

 

_ “Ambrose, take the basket into the kitchen, please. Sabrina, show them out. Hilda - ” _

 

Zelda paused on the highest landing and looked down at her little sister, a perfectly manicured hand on the bannister. Others may not have seen the way the corners of her mouth had softened, but Hilda had. She understood. 

 

“Do try to keep it down when you come in, and  _ don’t  _ let anything come in after you.” The glare she punctuated her words with failed to meet their mark as the mortal winked up at her.

 

“Of course, sister,” Hilda said, doing her best to hold back a smile having seen the exchange between him and Zelda. 

 

“Have fun, Auntie!” Sabrina was nearly bouncing on her toes as she walked them out.

 

Ambrose waved goodbye with a little mischief in his eye. “Do  _ everything  _ I would do.”

 

“Goodnight, everyone,” Cerberus said as he held open the door for Hilda. 

 

They passed through and Hilda spoke an incantation to refresh the wards. She always felt a little bit better about leaving her family if she did so, and she never failed to forget. Dr. Cee reached for her hand as they walked down the steps towards his car and he loved the way her small hand fit into his. He also loved the way her eyes crinkled at the corners whenever they touched. They walked around to the passenger side of the car and Cee paused, his hand on the door handle. Hilda turned to look up at him, brow furrowed, as the curls around her face bounced. He smiled down at her and spoke of how he’d been remiss in not mentioning how beautiful she looked tonight, complimenting her new earrings and stepping back to appreciate a full view of her.

 

Hilda shrugged in happy delight before pressing up on her toes and Cee was more than willing to kiss his beauty under the moonlight. They both sighed into the kiss, but the moment was broken as a whooping call was hollered out from the house. There, peeking out from the door were Ambrose and Sabrina. Cerberus laughed as Hilda bent her head forward to groan into the fabric of his shirt, a hand reaching out to the door and twitching. The door wrenched closed with a definitive thud and Hilda turned an apologetic eye up to him. He waved it off. Kids just being kids. 

 

The ride to Riverdale was uneventful, but they had a good chat along the way. Dr. Cee talked about his own nieces and nephews and the shenanigans they’d gotten into when they were little. Once, when Cee had been looking after them during a family picnic in the park, one of his nieces had gotten stuck on one of the big toys in the playground and he’d only barely gotten her free before his sister in law had found them and nearly taken his head off. Hilda laughed, knowing only too well what it would’ve been like on both sides of that tale. She told him about the time Ambrose had been teaching Sabrina to levitate objects and how her cauldron had almost brained the both of them. If he’d not been under house arrest at the time, she would’ve grounded him for decades. 

 

They pulled into a parking space and Cee took her hand, gave it a little squeeze saying that she was a wonderful mother to the both of them. She pulled away half heartedly, a hand to her blushing face. Cerberus only chuckled and slid out of the car before jogging around to open up her door. Hilda laughed as he bowed while she stepped out then wrapped her arm around his. Cee had wanted tonight to be a surprise, and surprised she was. She’d not been out to a restaurant in ages. Hilda enjoyed cooking and took pride in being able to feed her family, but it was a bit of a treat not to have to cook for once. From the looks of the entry hall, it felt very luxe by mortal standards, and a worry started to bloom in the back of her mind about how much Dr. Cerberus would be putting down tonight. 

 

It was an intimate space with low lighting and servers in smart uniforms, patrons speaking in hushed tones while clinking together their glasses. The host moved to pull out Hilda’s chair, but Cee beat them to it and the two shared a laugh at the gallantry. Cee kissed Hilda’s cheek as she sat and gave a nod in thanks to the host who pointed out the dance floor in the corner where a small band was providing music. Hilda shifted in her seat and did her best to relax. This most definitely wasn’t their regular type of venue, but she could appreciate what her Cerberus had intended. His hand reached out over the table to take hers and it was as if he’d read her thoughts.

 

“Is it too much?” He asked quietly, worry pulling at his mouth. “We can go, I don’t mind.”

 

“No, no - ” she said, rushing to assure him. “It’s different, but I like it. It’s very - ” She searched for the right word.  _ “Mellow.”  _

 

Cee’s smile glowed in the candlelight. “We’re usually interrupted by this time, aren’t we?”

 

“We are, yes,” she agreed with a light laugh. _ “Is that why we ran away from home?” _

 

“Maybe,” he said with his thumb tracing little circles across her knuckles. “But mostly because Greendale doesn’t have a restaurant as nice as this.”

 

“We could go anywhere and I’d love it as long as I was with you.”

 

Someone cleared their throat nearby and they turned to see a server approach their table. 

 

“Excuse the intrusion, but I was just wondering if you or your spouse would be interested in a wine sample? I have this chardonnay from Argentina and this merlot from Italy on hand, but I could get you a sample of something else from the wine list if you’d like? These two were just flown in last week.”

 

Cee caught the way Hilda’s cheeks absolutely flamed at him being assumed to be her spouse, but he couldn’t help but grin. He gave her hand a squeeze and shook his head no, Hilda declining as well with a bit of a flustered stammer. The server nodded and excused themselves from the table for a moment only to bring them a bread basket a little while later. Dr. Cerberus watched as Hilda took up a piece and inspected it, testing the crust and poking the middle. She gave it a bit of a sniff before popping a piece into her mouth and chewing with a thoughtful expression on her face. Cee observed it all with fascination. She caught his gaze on her and her blush remained high on her cheeks.

 

“Do you mind that the server thinks we’re married?”

 

Her hands fiddled with the bread she was holding. “Not really, no. Not especially after they heard me saying - ”

 

“How much you love being with me?” Cee asked when her words trailed off. She nodded and laid her bread back down, her fingers reaching out and brushing against his. “For the record, I love being with you, too.” He took her hand in his with a smile.

 

“Get on with you and your flattery,” Hilda protested with no heat to her words and stars in her eyes. “And pick something, would you?”

 

Her hand lingering in his for a moment more, Hilda took up her menu and hid behind it. Under the brooch that Sabrina had made her in grade school, her heart was skipping out a beat that had her grinning like a fool at the vegetarian section of the menu. She peeked out when she heard him make no move to pick up his and laughed when he blew her a kiss, finally glancing down at his menu. The list of items was extensive and, in her experience, quite complex. Cee made sounds of interest at a few of the dishes and she lit up when he asked her opinion on what he might try. They discussed different options and eventually made their selections with their order efficiently written down by their server who pointed out that there was still space left on the dance floor if they were so inclined. Thanking their server, Cerberus adjusted his tie and held out his hand to her. 

 

“Shall we?”

 

“You want to?”

 

“How could I not? You’re a marvelous dancer,” he said with a blush of his own beginning to bloom on his cheeks. “And I love holding you close.”

 

Hilda smiled at him and Cee felt his chest expand. Her hand slid into his, soft and smooth. They walked onto the dance floor hand in hand and he twirled her beneath his arm before resting his hand on her back with his cheek against her temple. He felt her sigh against him and he smiled into her hair. It was nice, this quiet. They rarely had a moment to themselves between the store and her own responsibilities. She was so busy Cerberus often wondered when she ever got the time to sleep. Yet, she always had a smile for him and everyone she met. Hilda was so kind and sweet and clever and funny and he felt like he couldn’t love her more. 

 

He said as much into her ear and the bubble of her giggle had him laughing as well. She pulled back from him and he missed the scent of her, but it was a small price to pay to see his feelings reflected in the affection shining through her eyes. Cee saw how she opened her mouth to speak, but someone tapped him on the shoulder. Again, it was their server with an apologetic smile on their face, an arm outstretched to invite them back to their table. They sat and their meal was lain before them with a flourish and a wish that they enjoy their dinner. Cerberus adjusted the cuffs of his sleeves so they’d be less likely to get sauce on them and felt something nudge his ankle. He ignored it as an accident and moved to fork a carrot before he felt the nudge once again. Placing his fork down, Cee looked up to find Hilda with a shy grin on her face. He met her fingers in the middle of the table as the music moved through its slow melody and Hilda told him she loved him, too. 

 

The rest of their dinner held comfortable conversation and sweet glances between the two. Even with spending as much time as they were together, it seemed there was always something more to learn. Hilda never made him feel odd or boring for being a mortal with such a shorter lifespan than she, and somehow wove her stories from decades before he was born seamlessly into the conversation. It was thrilling to hear about the life she’d lived before him, all the people she’d met along the way. He could easily see her attending a dinner party with Virginia Woolf and even at Queen Victoria’s coronation. Cee had wondered aloud if she’d had any pictures from back then, and from the way her eyes darted around, he suspected she did. He might have to ask Sabrina to bring them to the store one day. As their meal wound down, Cerberus ordered dessert for the two of them to share. 

 

Hilda always made the most amazing desserts and he’d been enjoying the baking lessons she’d been giving him recently when they’d had time to spare. Whenever she was in the kitchen, it was like seeing a master at work, and he felt like he was all thumbs even though he’d been cooking since before he’d gone off to college. She could manage multiple baking times in her head and the way her hands zipped around the different bowls made it seem like she might have been using magic, but she’d laughed off that comment of his saying that magic couldn’t treat food half as well as she could. Everything he’d ever had of hers was testament to that. Their dessert came with one plate and two spoons and their server left the table with a red face having heard them speaking delicately to one another in the way only those in love could. Hilda commented on how they’d run off the poor thing later that night when they pulled up to the Spellman manor and she took his hand as he walked her back up to the house.

 

“I fear we were a bit too much for the little darling,” she said, amusement coloring her words.

 

“When I was that age, I know I would’ve run, too,” Cee replied, his words floating up into the night above them.

 

“Would you?” Her brows lifted in surprise as she turned to look at him. 

 

“Mostly because I’d be waiting on the most beautiful woman in the room and I didn’t know how to handle myself back then.”

 

She laughed and he cherished the sound of it.  _ “And you think you know how to handle yourself now, do you?” _

 

“I think I’m more likely to run  _ to  _ you than  _ from  _ you.”

 

Hilda nodded with a bashful smile. “You did try and find me during a tornado of witches, I’ll give you that.”

 

“And I’d do it again,” he said as he handed her up the first stair. “Actually, there was something I was meaning to ask you about that night.”

 

“Yes, love?”

 

“Did you - ” He hesitated, not quite sure how to phrase his question. “Did you put a spell on me? Because one second I was with you holding on to your hands and then you were asking if I was the eldest and the next thing I know, I’m back down with everyone else in the basement.” He saw her blush and he wondered if he was ready for her answer.

 

“Right. Well, yeah. I did, but only because there was an angel of death, you see, and he was coming for all the firstborns in Greendale and I - ” Her eyes squeezed shut at the memory.  _ “I couldn’t let him have you.” _

 

Cee felt a pang of regret at having made her upset, but he had to know. “And when you say he was ‘coming for all the firstborns’ you mean - ”

 

“Coming to kill you as revenge for the Greendale Thirteen, yeah.”

 

“Oh.” Hilda watched as his brows scrunched together.  _ “So that’s why I ended up in the basement.” _

 

“ - But it was only the smallest of spells,” she said quickly, reaching for his hands. “More like a suggestion.”

 

A tight smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “I would’ve stayed with you, you know.”

 

“I know,” she sighed, shaking her head. “That’s why I couldn’t let you stay with me.”

 

_ “Hilda - ” _

 

“I wasn’t going to have you stand there while I was struggling to hold things together, was I?” 

 

“So you had me run away.”

 

“Having you there was - ” Her voice cracked remembering that night and she felt tears begin to well up in her eyes. “ _ It was too much _ \- I kept thinking of how you’d be the first one killed and I wouldn’t be strong enough to save you.”

 

“Hey,” Cerberus wrapped her up in his arms as he spoke softly. “I’m safe now. You kept me safe, you kept the school safe.” 

 

“I just  _ couldn’t -  _ ”

 

He held her a little tighter and she let herself rest against his chest. “I know. I would’ve done the same, but we know about each other now, so you don’t have to be alone next time. Promise me you won’t send me away again.”

 

“I can’t make that promise. I don’t want you near any of this,” she said, shaking her head against him.

 

“It’s who you are, Hilda, and I love you for who you are.” Pulling back just slightly, he took her face in his hands and pressed a kiss to the bridge of her nose.  _ “I love you.” _

 

“And I love  _ you, _ but I won’t have you put in any kind of danger because of me.”

 

“Sabrina’s friends - ”

 

“I can’t change their minds, they’re teenagers, but you - please, I can’t worry about you, too.” She turned her head to kiss his palm.  _ “I want you to be safe.” _

 

“So, you won’t let me help you.” Hilda shook her head and he brought her back into his arms, fearful of the next time she’d have to leave.

 

“The most important thing you can do to help me is to keep yourself away from danger,” she said, imploring him to understand. “I mean it, love. Magic - magic takes concentration. If I lose concentration for even a moment, I could find myself in trouble. It’s hard enough with Zelds and Ambrose and Sabrina and her friends.”

 

“Then promise me this instead - ” His voice was gentle as he spoke into her ear, his fingers tangling with the ends of her hair. “Promise me that you’ll never take away or alter my memories of you.”

 

_ “Cee - ” _

 

“I don’t ever want to forget you, Hilda Spellman.” He lifted one of her hands and placed it above his heart. “Promise me that you’ll let me keep you here.”

 

“If someone comes for you to get to me - ”

 

“Then they’ll know about me,” he said with a shrug, throwing her his sweetest smile. “So I might as well keep my memories.”

 

Hilda bit into her lip not wanting to fall for his charm. “Don’t do that, this is serious.”

 

“I  _ am  _ serious.” Once more taking up her hands, he kissed them both, his gaze earnest and level. “If you don’t want me to go with you when you go around saving the world, I won’t - but only if you promise me that I’ll always have my memories of you.”

 

She huffed and he could feel some of the tension in her easing away. “Your life would be  _ so  _ much easier if you didn’t know I was a witch.”

 

Cee laughed into the quiet around them, his eyes reflecting the stars back to her.  _ “Who said I wanted easier?” _

 

“Is there anything...  _ else  _ I can do to convince you to stay away when things are getting dicey?” She asked, tossing her hair and fluttering her lashes at him. 

 

“Tempting,” he said smiling, kissing her cheek. “So,  _ so tempting  _ \- but nice try. It’s this or I’ll be stumbling around the woods trying to help.”

 

Hilda rolled her eyes, but he could see the fondness in them. “Why did I fall in love with  _ such  _ a stubborn mortal?”

 

“Because you love your horror hosts.”

 

“I suppose I do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this basically stemmed from me wanting to see them on a DATE date, but then it ended up with me providing explanation for myself as to why Cee's not around in season 2 when they're fighting Satan etc. but Team Mortals is. Don't get me wrong, I love Roz and Harvey and Theo, but like ...if a bunch of kids could fight Mr. Morningstar, then a grown man who's possessed by an incubus could?? It didn't make sense to me, but that's why fic is around lol. 
> 
> Next chapter is gonna be a little lighter! If there's anything yall want to see, don't forget to drop me a line. Thank you for reading!


	5. Dinnertime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cee's brothers want to meet Hilda.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovely readers! It's been a bit, but with the length this chapter is, I hope that makes up for it! There's a lot of dialogue, and I tried to make it clear who's speaking, but please let me know any bits that are confusing in the comments and I'll go back and edit those sections! 
> 
> Also as a quick note of reference - since we haven't been given Cee's real name in the show, I ended up naming him Marco and his brothers as Antonio/Tony and Francesco/Frankie. Cee's actor is Italian and Chinese, so there we are with that! If canon has it that we're told what their names actually are, I definitely will edit this chapter. 
> 
> Enjoy the read!

The radio played softly over the sizzle of their cooking food as Hilda and Cee attended to their separate tasks in the kitchen. Hilda was working on their dessert, a little something of her own creation, and he was doing his best to sneak tastes from the bowl while she wasn’t looking, but she always seemed to catch him. Part of him wondered if it was magic or if it was from being a mother of two teenagers - maybe both. He dropped some herbs into the pan and gave it a little shake wanting the flavors to intermingle. They weren’t doing anything too fancy tonight, but that didn’t mean it couldn’t taste good. As he was attending to the pan, Cee felt a buzz from his phone in his pocket. He took the pan off the burner, grateful that the side dish he’d been working on was ready, and took a look at the screen with his face lighting up when he saw who was calling. 

 

“Hey!” He greeted his caller, giving Hilda’s waist a squeeze as he moved past her to take his call in the living room and loving the way she smiled at his touch. 

 

_ “Finally picking up for your little brother, are you?” _

 

Cee laughed as he leaned on the back of the couch. “You know how it is, but how are you? How’re the kids and Melanie?”

 

“We’re good - Chris wanted me to ask if you were still coming to his musical, actually. Are you still free next month?”

 

“Had it marked on my calendar from day one,” he said with a smile and watched Hilda sprinkle something into the bowl she’d been using. “I mean, he’s graduating high school with a lead role under his belt? Of course I’ll be there. Give him another hug and congratulations from me, okay?”

 

“Definitely, thanks,” his brother replied, a breath of relief meeting Cee’s ear. “I know he’ll be excited to hear you’re coming. Remind me to remind you about his graduation party, though. Things have been crazy. How are you?”

 

“Good, good. I - ” Cee’s words trailed off as he turned when Hilda approached him with her bowl. 

 

_ “Sorry, love, would you mind tasting this for me?”  _ she whispered, holding up her mix covered spatula for him to taste.

 

“Hello?”

 

“Yeah, just one sec,” Cee replied distractedly into the receiver as he leaned down to give the spatula a lick.  _ “Is that lime?” _

 

_ “It is, yeah, what do you think?”  _

 

_ “Perfect.”   _ Hilda’s shoulders came up and her nose scrunched in delight as he watched her step back into the kitchen, a little hop to her step. “Hey, sorry, but yeah, things have been - ”

 

“No, no, no, no - who was that? Was that a girl?” His brother demanded, suspicion dripping off each syllable.

 

Cee squeezed his eyes shut knowing just where this was going. “Well, she’s a  _ woman  _ \- ”

 

“You have a woman over and you’re talking to me? Bro, hang up the phone! When was the last time you were on a date?”

 

“I mean, we went out yesterday - ”

 

_ “And she’s still at your house?!” _

 

“No!” Cee said sharply as he pushed off the couch and moved into his bedroom. “No, we were just hanging out cooking together, but then I saw you calling - ”

 

“No, no - you don’t get to play stupid. Who  _ is  _ she?” 

 

Cee sighed and pressed the door shut behind him, flopping onto his bed. “We’ve been seeing each other for a little while, but I guess you could say she’s my - ”

 

“Oh, my god! You have a girlfriend!”

 

_ “Yeah,”  _ he said, seeing the picture he’d had framed of the two of them in the store sharing a milkshake that Sabrina had sent him. In it, they were both in costume and he had whipped cream on his upper lip and Hilda was caught mid laugh with her head thrown back.  _ “Yeah, I do.” _

 

“And you didn’t think to tell us?”

 

“It’s only be a little while, and things have been really busy - ”

 

“Busy because you got a  _ girlfriend, _ ” his little brother teased. “You sound real happy.”

 

Cee sighed still looking at the picture, remembering how her wig had fallen off right after the photo had been taken and they’d laughed so hard the customers had given them looks.  “I  _ am  _ happy.”

 

“So what’s she like? She sounds British.”

 

“Yeah,” he began. “She grew up in England for a little while, but her family is from Greendale.”

 

“What, really? And you two have only just started going out?”

 

“Yeah, she was running her family business,” Cee said and braced himself for what was to come.

 

“That’s cool, what is it?”

 

“It’s a mortuary.”

 

“Mortuary!” Cee held the phone away from his ear at his brother’s shout of the word. “I mean, we always  _ knew  _ you liked the creepy, horror stuff, but a mortuary? Is she related to the Addams family?”

 

_ “Hey, man.” _ Cee’s words were hard, clipped. _ “Not okay.” _

 

“Alright, alright, I’m done, but how did you all meet?”

 

“She was looking for some part time work and - ”

 

“You’re dating your employee?” He cringed, knowing how it sounded. “That’s even worse!”

 

“You know I’d  _ never  _ \- ”

 

“I know, I’m just -  _ aw, man.  _ This is something else.”

 

“It’s a pretty weird situation, yeah,” Cee agreed, wiping a hand over his face. “But she’s the best.”

 

“So tell me more about your British mortician-employee-girlfriend?”

 

“She’s amazing.” He chose to ignore his brother’s snort. “She’s really great with people and gives a lot of herself in what she does. She’s really,  _ really  _ smart and funny and beautiful and the way she smiles at you makes you feel like you’re special, you know?”

 

“...Dude, you’re in love.”

 

“I am.”

 

“And does she… do you know if she feels the same way?”

 

Cee felt himself smile knowing exactly what he would say. “I know it seems really sudden, but she does.”

 

“Hey, that’s great, man, and I’m happy for you.”

 

“Thank - ”

 

_ “And when we come over to see you next Saturday, we’re meeting her.” _

 

Cee blew out an exasperated sigh. “It’s too  _ soon  _ \- ”

 

“You’ve been seeing her for  _ ages  _ and I’m just now hearing about her. It’s  _ not  _ too soon.”

 

“I’ll have to ask first. She and her sister are raising their niece and nephew, so I don’t - ” 

 

“Fine, but figure something out quick or we’ll figure out which mortuary is hers and make a house call.”

 

“The both of you have to  _ promise  _ to be nice to her. Okay? It’s,” Cee began, but paused to take a breath. “...it’s been a really long time since I’ve felt this way about anyone and I don’t want her to get scared off by you two.”

 

“She owns a mortuary, what’s she got to be scared of your little brothers for?”

 

“Hey - ”

 

“Sorry, I had to, but that’s the last one, promise.” Cee rolled his eyes, not believing his brother for a second. “But yeah, I’ll make sure Frankie gets it out of his system before we meet her, promise on that, too.”

 

“Thanks. I think you’ll really like her, she’s a fun person to be around.”

 

_ “Fun, huh?”   _ Cee groaned at his brother's tone. “Have you two gotten into  _ a lot  _ of fun?”

 

_ “Oh, for - ” _

 

“I’m just asking! I’m your brother, I get to ask.”

 

“God, I forgot how  _ annoying  _ you can get when I’m seeing someone.”

 

“Being annoying is my right.” Cee levered himself off the bed and ran a hand through his hair as his brother pressed on. “So? Yes? No? Is she freaky in bed or what?”

 

“Alright, I gotta go,” Cee said quickly, wanting to cut off this conversation and get back to cooking.

 

“Hey, wait - ”

 

“Give Melanie and the kids my love, bye.”

 

Cee cut off his brother’s response with a tap of the end call button and sighed, opening up the door and heading back out to the living room. It wasn’t that he’d been hiding Hilda, there really just wasn’t time to tell them about her. Between the Greendale Thirteen, Hilda finding out he’d been possessed, and all that Satan business, how was he to tell his brothers that he was in a relationship? His phone buzzed in his hand and he saw that his sibling group text was getting a high volume of traffic. No doubt Tony had told their baby brother that he was seeing someone. Cee groaned and fell into the couch. He heard Hilda’s steps quietly pad towards him and he did his best to put on a smile for her. Worry creased her brow and she sank into the cushion next to him, a small hand reaching out to cover his knee.

 

“Everything alright, darling?” Her head dipped down to try and catch his gaze, her blue eyes doing their best not to pressure him into anything he didn’t want to talk about. “Only, it’s pretty cozy in here and these walls aren’t terribly thick.”

 

Cee gave a little laugh, appreciating that she’d done her best not to eavesdrop. “Everything’s fine. My brothers just want to meet you.”

 

_ “Meet me?” _ They both heard how her voice squeaked.  _ “They want to meet me?” _

 

“Yeah, and - and I know it’s last minute, but would you be free next Saturday? They’re coming over for dinner.”

 

“Next Saturday? That’s only a few days away!” She cried, her free hand shooting up to rub at her forehead, her temple.

 

Taking up her hands in his, Cee brought them to his mouth for the tiniest of kisses. “You don’t have to worry about a thing, they’ll  _ love  _ you.”

 

“Do they know about your - ” Her words trailed off as she glanced down at the steel circling his wrist.

 

“Oh. No, they don’t,” Cee confirmed. “I don’t think they’d believe me if I told them.”

 

“So, that means you haven’t told them about me being a witch then?”

 

“That’s not my secret to tell,” he said simply, settling back against the couch. “But I told them everything else, like how you’re incredible and sweet and how much I love you.”

 

Hilda grew quiet. She wanted to be a part of his life, she just hadn’t thought it would be so soon. Of course, mortals moved a bit more quickly than witches did with their shorter life spans, but this? It was important, so important, and she only had a few days to prepare! She’d asked him a bit about his brothers, but there really hadn’t been time to do too much more than that when they’d been out and about and saving the world, now was there? Lilith bless, what if they didn’t like her? At the thought, she became acutely aware of how Cee had opened up her hands and placed them on either side of his face, her dear, sweet Cee pressing kisses into her palms. She didn’t want to lose this, lose him. He loved his family and she knew just what it was like to have the expectations of one’s family on you. Squaring her shoulders, Hilda drew herself up before running her fingers into his hair and turning his head up to her. A promise to herself sealed with a kiss.

 

“We should better get our stories straight about how much we’re telling them, then.”

 

“Does that mean you’ll come?”

 

She nodded and leaned forward to rest her cheek against his. “I don’t know how good I’ll be at it, but I’ll do my best.”

 

“You  _ are  _ the best.” Cee drew her into another kiss, but they were both distracted by his phone going off. “I should probably tell them that you’re coming.”

 

Hilda watched as he unlocked his phone and pulled up his texting app. _ “Oh, bloody hell. That’s a lot of messages.” _

 

“They’re just excited to meet you,” he said as he typed that she’d confirmed to come. 

 

“Excited.” The phone seemed to go off in double time. _ “Right.” _

 

Cee muted the thread and placed his phone on the coffee table before pulling her closer to him on the couch. “I’m guessing you haven’t met your boyfriend’s family before?”

 

She shook her head and he tried not to laugh at the way her hair tickled his chin. “The few relationships I’ve had never got to the point where I was ‘brought home’ as Sabrina might put it.”

 

“Well, you’re already in my home, so we’re off to a great start,” he said, hoping to cheer her up. From the way she still sat stiff as a board, his attempt hadn’t been successful. “Trust me, it’ll be fine.”

 

“I just feel like I’m going to muck it up somehow.”

 

“Hilda Spellman, you - ” He punctuated his meaning with a kiss to her hair. “Are perfect. Why do you think you’ll be anything else?”

 

She could think of a million reasons, but she was saved by the casserole needing to come out of the oven. 

 

* * *

Zelda did her best not to roll her eyes, but it was terribly difficult when her sister was squirming so much.  _ All this effort for a mortal, honestly. _ They often assisted each other with their sewing, but with Hilda meeting that charlatan’s siblings in a couple of days, her little sister had been obsessing about the dress she’d started on and had been hounding Zelda to help her with the final adjustments. She’d thought it best to just get the ordeal over and done with than to have Hilda “check in” with how she was getting on with Academy preparations every five minutes. The material was finer than many of Hilda’s day dresses, but Zelda did find it challenging to come to terms with the fact her sister could stand wearing something so brightly patterned. Hilda shifted again and Zelda nearly stuck herself with a pin.

 

_ “Hilda, I swear to Lilith, if you keep wriggling about I’ll prick you on purpose.” _

 

“Sorry, sister,” Hilda replied in that small voice of hers. “I just can’t help but think this’ll all end terribly.”

 

“If he lets it end terribly, he’s not worth your time.”

 

“He  _ is  _ worth my time.”

 

“Then he won’t let it end terribly,” Zelda said sensibly with just the slightest bit of haughtiness in her tone. “Turn around - I mean,  _ really,  _ Hilda, what’s a few mortal men? If anything, charm whatever you’re feeding them and let that be that.”

 

The younger of the two chuckled knowing all too well her sister’s humor was often made in half-threats “Zelds, I don’t want to use magic on them.”

 

“Then what do you want?”

 

“I want us to be friends,” Hilda stressed, fiddling with the cuffs of her sleeves to which Zelda slapped her hands away.

 

An imperious brow raised nearly to her hairline, Zelda asked, “Why would you  _ ever  _ want that?”

 

“Things would just be a bit smoother if we all got along, don’t you think?”

 

“I don’t think it’s a necessity, and I don’t see why you’re trying so hard.”

 

“Cee makes an effort with you.” Hilda pouted when her sister barked a laugh. “He does and you  _ know  _ it.”

 

“I suppose,” Zelda replied flippantly, tossing her coiffed hair over a shoulder. 

 

Hilda’s thoughts turned to worry and she mumbled,  _ “It doesn’t hurt to try.” _

 

“Spellmans don’t  _ try, _ Hilda. We do,” her older sister said with a final pin set in place with a hand out to help her sister down from the stool. “Isn’t that so?”

 

Hilda took her sister’s hand with a smile on her face and felt supported in more ways than one. 

 

* * *

Ever since she’d teleported to his house armed with her rolling pin and apron, Cee had done his best to push aside her anxieties, but found she was doing quite well with that if her chopping and stirring and measuring were any indication. He rather liked cooking beside her and having her hip bump against him every so often as they maneuvered around one another in his small kitchen. She kept up a stream of questions for him regarding his brothers and he felt like he should be taking some notes with questions he should ask about Zelda. Hilda had already asked about food preferences, allergies, and sensitivities days ago when she’d been planning their dinner, but then she’d asked about their own families and his favorite memories of the three of them from when they were children. Eventually it came down to simply waiting for the food to cook and Hilda seemed stuck on staring at the oven. Cee wrapped his arms around her from behind and placed a kiss onto the crown of her head. 

 

“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked gently, his words muffled by her blonde hair. 

 

Cee felt her sag in his arms.  _ “What I want is for this cardigan to swallow me whole.” _

 

“But then how would everyone see the pretty dress you made?” The teasing tone to his voice had made its desired effect and he saw the corners of her eyes crinkle in her pride. “It’s new, isn’t it?”

 

He was further pleased to see her blush, and he kissed her right where they blossomed on her cheeks. “Yeah, I made it for tonight.”

 

“I love it,” he said with a little hum, turning her in his arms so that she would face him. “And I love you and I really appreciate you being here. They’ve been asking me questions about you all week - ”

 

Any further encouragements were set to pause by the knock on his door.

 

“Is there anything else that I should know about your brothers?” Hilda asked with a bit of a tremor in her voice and rush to her words.

 

“You know them as well as I do now.” Cee gave her a squeeze before stepping back and brushing the hair away from her eyes. “I’ll go get the door. You take however long you need and come out when you’re ready, okay?”

 

Hilda squeaked out a reply and turned towards the sink to give her hands one final wash just in case they were still sticky from her meal preparations. From behind her, she heard Cee open up the front door and a chorus of male voices rang out. Although she could hear them speaking, it sounded like a dull roar beneath the nervous chatter in her head. She’d done her best to get excited for tonight and her family - including Zelda, although spurred on by the children - had done the same, but it was all a bit different now that they were just behind her. Antonio and Francesco. Tony and Frankie. Cee. She focused on the timbre of his voice and was comforted by the fact that he would be with her. The warmth of his hug was her armor as she turned, hearing one of his brothers ask just where he was keeping her. Peeking out from behind the wall that obstructed their view of her, she gave a smile and a little wave.

 

“Just here. Hello, both. I’m - ”

 

“Hilda!” They cried in unison before rushing to meet her.

 

Even if she didn’t know they were brothers, Hilda was sure she could’ve guessed it just by looking at them. They all had the same dark and curly hair although Cee had a bit more gray than both his brothers. One was slightly shorter than the other with the second just about Cee’s height. The shorter one had a henley style shirt on paired with a bomber jacket and the other had a v-neck sweater, perfect for the still chilly spring weather. Henley had a pair of glasses on and Sweater seemed to be sporting the same dimples that Cee had, although he only had one while Cee had two.

 

“Hey, hi!” said the shorter of the newcomers as he put his hand out for her to shake, his grin akin to Cee’s. “It’s really nice to put a face to the name.” 

 

“Yeah, it’s great to know that you’re real, honestly,” Sweater chimed in with a laugh that sounded like his older brother’s. “I thought Tony was lying when he said Marco had a girlfriend.”

 

_ “When have I ever lied to you?” _ Tony asked with a warning edge to his words.

 

“If you two kill each other, you won’t be able to try Hilda’s cooking,” Cee pointed out in a sing-song voice, stepping between the two and gesturing to the couch and chairs beside them.  _ “So sit down and chill out.” _

 

“She’s cooking? Oh, thank  _ god. _ ” Frankie sighed dramatically as he settled himself into one of the chairs and Hilda bit back a laugh, nodding.

 

“Hey - ” Cee began to protest, but Hilda chose not to hear him.

 

“Was he really that bad?” she asked, wanting to know what juicy tidbit this might be about.

 

“Terrible.” 

 

_ “The worst.”  _

 

“Our parents went away for a weekend and we almost died from food poisoning,” Frankie explained, leaning towards her in faux secrecy.

 

“In high school!” Cee reminded. “I know how to cook better than both of you!” 

 

Franking turned to Hilda with a grave expression on his face.  _ “Don’t let him near a grill. He thinks he’s Bobby Flay.” _

 

Hilda giggled and Tony laughed as Cee brought over the appetizers she’d prepared, grumbling. “I could throw down with him  _ any  _ day.”

 

“Of course you could, darling,” Hilda agreed, patting his knee when he came to sit beside her and the plate of nibbles was placed before them all.

 

“Wow, so supportive,” Frankie teased, throwing a wink Hilda’s way as he reached for one of the appetizers.

 

“It’s okay, Hilda, we’re his brothers,” Tony said with a serious hand clapped onto her shoulder.  _ “We know he’s shit at cooking.”  _

 

“It was  _ one  _ time!” 

 

Hilda laughed and placed a soothing hand onto his arm that didn’t go unnoticed by his brothers. “You know, actually, he and I have been cooking together, and he’s really  _ quite  _ good.” The way her smile spoke of her pride in him wasn’t lost, either.

 

“I  _ heard  _ you two had been cooking together - ” Tony began with a waggle of his brows before being cut off by Frankie.

 

“Oh, my god!” He near shouted. “Sorry, just - Hilda, you  _ made  _ this?”

 

“With my own two hands, yes.” 

 

Cee took her hand in his and gave the smallest of kisses to her thumb while his brothers were preoccupied.

 

“Tony, you gotta try one.”

 

Taking one off the plate, they all watched as he popped it in his mouth before his eyes went wide. 

 

“I know Marco’s a nerd and we just met you,” he said, taking another and eating it whole. “But please stay with him. I need these at my son’s graduation party.”

 

“Tony!” Cee spluttered in his embarrassment. “You can’t just  _ say  _ that!”

 

“You  _ are  _ a bit of a nerd, love.”

 

Cee’s brothers roared their laughter as Hilda pressed a kiss to his cheek, whispering how she adored his nerdiness into his ear. He smiled at her and let his brow rest against hers, at ease with how well the most important people in his life were getting along - even if they were teasing him now. He’d prepared himself for this moment, but to hear Hilda trade jokes with his little brothers was something else. They ate and talked and his brothers continued to embarrass him with stories from when they were young. Hilda was lovely as always, and he loved to see the way she laughed and smiled. The little knots of nervousness he’d seen behind her eyes were beginning to unravel and he was thankful for his brothers refraining from teasing her about the mortuary or about how their relationship came to be. Soon enough, they moved back to the living room and Cee put his arm around her when she leaned into his side. 

 

“So, Tony says you’re a mortician, but you’re working for Marco now?” Frankie asked, swirling the wine in his glass.

 

“Yes, part time. Praise - ”

 

Hilda faked a cough and took a sip of her drink to distract his brothers as both she and Cee tensed as a particularly witchy phrase nearly rolled off her tongue. 

 

“ _ Sorry _ \- Praise be that there isn’t too much need for the likes of me at the mortuary, but it was getting awfully boring just sitting about waiting for terrible news - and I do love to read.” She didn’t need to turn her head up to know Cee was beaming down at her.

 

“We’re selling some of her pastries and things at the store, too, and they’re  _ flying  _ off the shelves.”

 

“I’d believe it,” Tony said giving the air a huge whiff as Hilda’s dessert continued to cook while the others laughed along with him.

 

“And you met at the store?” Frankie asked.

 

Cee’s brothers shared a look as she blushed and looked down at her and Marco’s interlaced hands resting on her thigh. “Well, I’d seen him around town of course, and I’d sometimes meet my niece at the shop, but I must admit the first time I saw him was when he was a horror host, you know? Dr. Cerberus was  _ such  _ a fabulous character and Cee played the role so well! But then I was looking for a job and my niece had said that the store was hiring, and the rest was history.”

 

Reaching out for her free hand, Tony spoke in a voice that rang throughout the room. “Did you take pity on him because of the cloak?” 

 

_ “The cloak is part of the look.”  _

 

Hilda laughed and gave Tony’s hand a little squeeze before settling back against Cee. “No, never - I thought it was charming, actually.”

 

“Even with the collar flopping around?” Frankie asked, dubious of this newfound information.

 

“ _ Especially _ with the collar flopping around.”

 

Cee pressed a kiss against her hair in thanks and she pulled away to smile up at him. Although it only lasted a moment or two, both Frankie and Tony were brought back to the first time they’d ever seen their big brother being mushy gushy with a girl. They were older now of course, and Marco deserved to be in a relationship if that’s what he wanted, but there was just something so gross about seeing your brother make doe eyes at someone. Tony cut the moment short with a put upon cough.

 

“Alright, you two. Break it up, your little brothers are right here.” 

 

The two of them laughed and the cooking timer went off.

 

“Oh, that’s me,” Hilda said as she gave Cee’s knee a pat, wanting him to spend time alone with his brothers. “Won’t be a minute.”

 

Hilda popped off to the kitchen and their visitors gathered around their brother in a tight huddle. It had been years since Marco had been in a relationship and the two had planned to tell him if he was jumping into something he wasn’t ready for seeing as he’d only been seeing her for a short time. That most definitely wasn’t the case.

 

“She’s  _ perfect  _ for you,” Tony whispered, pleased at how well suited they were.

 

Cee looked back towards the kitchen with a soppy smile on his face.  _ “I know.”  _

 

“Still can’t really believe she’s real,” Frankie also whispered before Cee landed a solid, albeit light, punch to his arm. “Hey!”

 

“It sucks that you two just met, though. We could’ve been eating like this the entire time,” Tony sighed, looking longingly into the middle distance thinking of all they could’ve had.

 

“I like her for more than her food, you know,” Cee laughed and pushed his hair back in the way his siblings knew he was beginning to feel bashful. 

 

“Right, right, right,” Tony smirked, bumping his knee against his big brother’s “It was something like -  _ the way she smiles makes you feel special _ \- that was it, wasn’t it?”

 

_ “Really, Marco?”  _

 

“Tell me she doesn’t have a great smile though,” Cee countered with lifted brows. 

 

“Just a minute,” Frankie replied as he straightened up and called out towards the kitchen. “Hilda?”

 

“Yes, love?” She responded, appearing in the entrance of the kitchen with her apron on once more and holding a napkin.

 

“Oh, never mind, sorry,” Frankie apologized with a wave of his hand and Hilda smiled at him, her shoulders lifting up in a happy little shrug as she returned to plating up dessert.  _ “Okay, sure, I get it.” _

 

The brothers laughed as Hilda brought in her creation, all but bursting to have them try it. The four tucked in for their dessert and to no one’s surprise, it was incredible. Tony and Frankie continued to ask Hilda questions about herself, and she did her best to remain honest with them. Cee kept a keen ear on the conversation and did his best to steer topics away from anything that might put Hilda into a difficult place, but by and large it all went swimmingly - except for when his brothers asked about her childhood and he had to cut in that it was  _ like  _ the Victorian age, not really the Victorian age. Hilda had trilled a laugh in her panic for having slipped, but Cee just kissed the top of her ear. Everything was fine. 

 

“Hold up, is that bracelet new?”

 

Cee nearly choked on his dessert.

 

“I got it as a present for him,” Hilda explained with a shy smile knowing it had been a present for the both of them. “Looks like something from out of a horror movie, don’t you think?”

 

“Definitely,” Frankie agreed, leaning in for a closer look. 

 

Tony put his plate down and held his hand out. “Can I see?” 

 

_ “No.” _

 

Hilda hid her wince behind her teacup at how brusque Cee sounded.

 

“C’mon, Marco, you don’t want Hilda to think you don’t know how to share, do you?”

 

“I’ll just take these plates into the kitchen and do a bit of washing up while you show them, hm?” Keeping herself turned away from a highly tense Cee, Hilda gathered up the plates and stood.

 

Cee had been incredibly careful with the bracelet ever since she’d given it to him. She knew what it meant to him, but surely there wasn’t any harm in letting his brothers see it for a minute or two? From the kitchen sink, Hilda could hear Tony making comments about how his sons would probably want one too when they saw it and she pressed her lips together to hold back a laugh. Zelda would probably keel over if she ever heard of mortals wearing Damascus steel as normal accessories. Hilda took her time with the dishes, not wanting Cee to rush his time with his brothers. She knew that they messaged and called each other often, but being with one another was an entirely different type of experience and one she wanted him to have. Now that things were winding down, Hilda took a deep breath as she scrubbed. Things had gotten a little sticky here and there, but it seemed like they liked her - and she liked them! She knew from Cee that they couldn’t be anything else other than absolute darlings, and she shook her head at herself wondering what she could’ve possibly been nervous about. There was the whole matter of her being a witch and Cee being possessed by a demon of course, but with luck, that would just be a bridge they wouldn’t cross. 

 

“Hilda?” Cee called as she wiped down the final plate. “Tony and Frankie’ve got to go. Do you have a minute?”

 

“Coming!” Walking up to the three of them now that they’d all congregated next to the front door, Hilda held out her hands to the two of them. “Oh, but I’m so pleased to have finally met you both!”

 

“Us too,” Frankie replied for the both of them. “Maybe next time you two can come over to my place? I was telling my wife about you, and she’s too excited for there to be another lady in the family.”

 

“Mine first,” Tony chimed in, grinning “I had to promise Melanie - she almost got in the car with me when I was on my way over.”

 

Hilda’s smile stretched from ear to ear. “I would love to, thank you.”

 

“Have Marco bring you for my son’s musical, I’m sure we can get you a ticket,” Tony continued as Cee shot a glare at him from over Hilda’s head. 

 

_ “Tony, don’t - ” _

 

“How about I get back to you after I check a few things?” Hilda cut in brightly, her head tilted just so as she opened up the door to let them all out. “I haven’t been to a musical in  _ ages. _ ”

 

“That’s alright with me,” Tony said, stepping through the door.

 

“If you do come, bring a couple of those snack things for the after party?” Frankie suggested with a face that only youngest siblings could ever pull off.

 

“I’ll make sure to,” Hilda laughed as Cee groaned. “You lot get home safely, alright?”

 

Bidding their final goodbyes and watching the two of them drive off into the night, Cee watched as Hilda closed the door and rested against it. The demon had been held back for some time now, but he could feel its pleasure at seeing her there with her eyes closed and breathing softly. It whispered words of acts that Cee also wanted for himself, but he buried those thoughts and pushed the incubus back behind the wards that the steel had to keep it confined. Cee heard her call his name and he took her hand to lead her back to the couch where they’d had such a great time with his brothers. Hilda sat and Cee pulled her feet up into his lap to be with her and as far away as possible, still not wanting to chance the demon rearing up after such a recent release. His hands moving to work at the arches of her feet, Cee leaned his head back against the couch.

 

“How do you feel?” He asked, wanting to make sure she was doing alright after all the worry he knew she’d gone through before tonight. 

 

“If you keep that up, I may never move from this spot.”

 

Cee laughed and gave a little kiss to her tights-covered ankle. “You know you’ll get no complaints from me.”

 

Hilda smiled and reached up to run her hand over his arm. “But I’m doing fine, darling, thank you. Your brothers are just as sweet as you’d said they’d be, and you really don’t have to keep chastising them, you know.”

 

“I just don’t want you to feel pressured by them. I know you haven’t been in a relationship like ours before and - ” He paused to find the words although his hands never stopped kneading her. “And my family is a lot.”

 

“And mine isn’t?” Hilda laid her hands over his to stop him before guiding his chin and turning him to face her. “I know I was nervous to meet them and I think I might always be with the potential for something coming out always there, but I like them, and it seemed they liked me - ”

 

“They  _ love  _ you,” Cee said adamantly, turning his head to press a kiss into her palm.

 

Hilda smiled at the gesture, but went on saying, “Then everything will be fine, won’t it?”

 

“Better than fine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And you're done! I know this chapter was a bit of a monster, but I hope you liked it - and thank you for reading! I just have a couple questions for yall moving forward, so please feel free to give me your input:
> 
> \- For chapters rated M / E, would you prefer to have those in a separate work or are you okay with having them added to this collection with the rating on this one being bumped up?
> 
> \- Do you prefer having shorter chapters coming out more often or are you okay with waiting if the chapters are longer?
> 
> Like always, please go ahead and comment any prompts you'd like me to work on in the future! If you're interested in connecting with me / asking me questions outside of the comments, you can find me at shewriting on Twitter!


	6. Lost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hilda is moved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, loves! Please note that the rating for this work has gone up once again because Hilda............. finds herself in a particular situation. It's also a lot shorter than previous chapters, but I'm halfway through the next one already! 
> 
> Still a bit rusty, but hopefully it's alright. 
> 
> Enjoy the read!

Shouting out a brief explanation to Ambrose before she teleported away, Hilda rubbed at her forehead with a sigh. The motion was soothing, but it didn’t necessarily help the fact that her glasses had gone missing. As a witch, she didn’t really _need_ them of course, but she liked them. They also helped her to blend in better with the mortals, but that was beside the point. Her home melting away before her eyes, she felt the stability of his flooring beneath her feet in a moment and she felt herself release a breath. As convenient as teleportation was, it wasn’t exactly her favorite method of travel. One stray thought popping into your head while you’re casting and you might be miles away from where you’d meant to be. Unfortunately for her, the last time she’d cast a failed teleportation spell, Zelda had seen it all.

 

_She still hadn’t lived it down._

 

Now oriented to Cee’s’ home and things around her, Hilda gave a look about and couldn’t see her beau. She’d called earlier to ask if he’d seen them and although he hadn’t, he promised that he’d check and welcomed her over as well. Glad as she was that he was going to take it upon himself to search for her glasses, Hilda felt things might be a bit easier if she had a hand in it. An extra set of hands didn’t hurt anything. Calling out for him as they’d discussed whenever she teleported in, a smile bloomed on her face when she heard him answer back. Much as she loved him, he also had an incredibly pleasing voice to her. His words were always spoken so smoothly and she sometimes felt like a silly little goose with the way she might sputter out her thoughts, but he never teased her for it. Somehow, it seemed that he liked her voice just as much, sweet man.

 

Hearing his footsteps come out from his bedroom, Hilda’s eyes grew wide at the sight of him. With a towel wrapped around his waist, his hair still wet, and water still running tracks over his body, he looked like one of the covers from her romance novels. She watched as a bead of water led her gaze down his chest, across his ribs, and below his navel to where his towel hung around his hips. Catching herself gawking at him, Hilda was thankful when he moved out of her line of sight and began talking, explaining that he didn’t think she’d left her glasses at the shop, but that he’d give the place a once over if they didn’t find them tonight. She made some noise of agreement in the back of her throat and prayed to everything infernal that it hadn’t come out as a moan. From the way he continued to look for her glasses, her prayers had been answered.

 

Hilda tore herself away from the sight of him and took a deep breath. Now wasn’t the time to ogle him. Retracing her steps from when they’d spent the afternoon together, Hilda went about her own search. A minute hadn’t passed by when her eyes slid over to him at the couch plucking off cushions and reaching in between the cracks just in case they’d fallen when they’d had their tea. She watched as the lamplight illuminated his face, his curly hair, how his muscles flexed beneath his skin as he moved. There was a certain dryness in her mouth as she watched him, and the exact opposite further south. Thoroughly embarrassed and needing a moment to compose herself, Hilda escaped to the kitchen and began to absently open and close cabinets and drawers.

 

She and Cee hadn’t yet made love, but they’d gotten themselves tangled up in all manner of other liplocking situations so far, and those had all been _incredibly_ enjoyable. A wave of remembrance rushed through to her center at the last time they’d had one such moment. He’d been playing keep away with the feather duster in the storage room at the shop and one thing had lead to another and the next she knew they were hot and heavy up against a case of soda pop. It hadn’t been the most romantic of settings, but the way they’d touched and felt and _been_ together still made her feel like she was breathless for his kiss. Hilda rubbed at her temples. _Now was not the time._ She needed to find her glasses and get out of here.

 

“Oh, I know!” She heard him say from the living room with him appearing in the kitchen just seconds later. “You like a little milk in your tea, so I think it should be right around - ” He opened up the refrigerator and she saw how his nipples tightened at the cold. “Here!”

 

He held them aloft like the prize they were with the largest of smiles on his face, but she couldn’t see it. All she could see was his chest and how he breathed. She had the urge to shove him up against the sink like one of her heroines from her novels might, but she also felt the need to lay him down and take her time with kissing every inch of his chest. Hilda could almost taste him as she licked her lips, reaching out for the chair behind her for support.

 

“Hilda?” He said, concerned with how she settled herself so heavily into the chair. “Is everything alright?”

 

Placing her glasses onto the counter, Cee dropped onto a knee when she didn’t meet his eyes.

 

“You’re scaring me, sweetheart. _Talk to me._ What’s - ”

 

She shook her head, eyes squeezed shut. The image of him mostly naked on his knees in front of her wasn’t something she could fathom at the moment.

 

“Sorry - _sorry, I’m fine._ Just have a bit of a headache.” She waved a hand and hoped her distracted thoughts went with it. “Thank you for the help, love. I’ll just pop back and whip myself up a little something.”

 

Sidling out of the chair with him still on his knees, Hilda reached for her glasses, but stopped when his hand closed over hers.

 

“I have some of that headache balm that you made for me the other day, just give me a sec to - ”

 

She could feel the heat of his chest against her back as he spoke softly to her. One hand was over hers and the other was on her opposite side against the countertop. His hand was warm and she snatched her glasses away just as she thought of how he held her with those hands, the way she wanted him to hold her now. Hilda knew it wouldn’t be difficult at all for her to teleport away from him, even with him nearly pressing her into the cabinets, but she didn’t want to. She’d never been with him like this before.

 

“No, it’s alright, really. I’ll be okay,” she managed to say as a blush rushed over her cheeks and chest, wishing she could curl her fingers into his towel and tug it from him. “But thank you, you’re always so thoughtful.”

 

Turning her head just slightly to smile at him over her shoulder, her breath caught in her throat when he leaned in and kissed her cheek, his head resting in the juncture of her neck. He hummed a note that struck a chord between her thighs before he nuzzled in right under her ear. Hilda felt her hand close tightly over her glasses as he began to speak and her eyes slid shut.

 

“It’s nothing, really,” he said, his voice a rumble against her. “I just want to take care of you.”

 

Hilda turned to face him with a forced laugh, not daring to look anywhere below his chin. “I can take care of myself.”

 

“I know.” His chuckle was warm and kind as his hands found her hips and she bit her tongue to keep from whimpering. “But you don’t have to. You take care of everyone, Hilda - maybe it’s time to let someone take care of you.”

 

Pulling him down to her, Hilda stopped any more of his sweet words with a bruising kiss. She loved the way he melted in to her, the way his arms wound more tightly around her waist. Her hands slid into his hair and she curled her fingers around his locks. The feel of the silky strands brought images to her mind all the positions they may get in to that would call for her tugging on his hair, and she groaned. All too soon, he leaned away from her and a deep part of her pulled sharply at the sight of his hair completely mussed, the pulse in his neck beating rapidly against her possessive fingers.

 

 _“That,”_ she said, breathing heavily and letting her gaze drop to his slightly parted mouth. _“That’s all I need help with.”_

 

Hilda yelped when he lifted her up onto the counter. She watched as he stepped between her knees and turned his face up to her, his black gaze teasing her with the want behind them. 

 

“Are you _sure_ that’s all?” He asked, his words low, intentional. _“Where else do you want me to kiss you?”_

 

The way his eyes traveled over her body and down to where his towel-covered self pressed into her had her chest heaving. Oh - _Heaven_ \- how she wanted him there, right there. Quite without meaning to, her knees spread wider and the dark smile on his face would’ve put even the most mischievous of demons to shame. She watched as his hands gathered the material of her dress over her knees and began to push it upwards. He was halfway up her thighs when she stopped him. Pushing him away with the tip of her Mary Janes, she laughed seeing the randy confusion on his face.

 

Hands gripping the counter below her, Hilda watched as the toe of her shoe eased away the knot in the fabric _\- and woke up._ Her eyes snapped open into the dark of her shared bedroom and she turned her head, breathing a thank you to Lilith that her sister slept like the dead. Hilda squeezed her eyes shut and willed herself to sleep once more, to conjure up the image of what was behind the towel, but she couldn’t. Too shaky, too needy, Hilda slipped out of bed on quiet feet and out into the corridor. It was too far past the witching hour for any of her family to be awake, but as she quickly moved towards the room she’d had for her own, however temporarily, she cast a silencing spell and locked the door remembering how this afternoon had actually gone.

 

Cee had been lovely as always, and had found her glasses beside the milk in the refrigerator. She’d thanked him and had feigned a headache to get back home, too riled up to be near him. He’d been so beautiful, so sincere and tempting. Her hands felt empty as she settled into the cold bed and thought of what could have been had she not been such a coward. Would he have dropped the towel if she’d asked? Would he have taken her on the counter as she’d dreamt? She turned a dissatisfied sigh into the pillow, frustrated. Hilda knew she wasn’t quite ready, but she wanted to be, and Cee, bless him, had always been so understanding. Yet, she sometimes caught him looking at her in ways not entirely innocent and that alone could get her wet - as she was now.

 

Reaching down to press her fingers over her underwear, she keened high in her throat. She wanted him. She wanted his fingers to be the ones that worked her panties down her thighs, the ones to open her up. She wanted his fingers to find her slick with her desire for him, to have him learn how she liked to be touched. Her clit was tight and sensitive as she moved her fingers over herself and she closed her eyes, imagining him there with her. His gaze would be full of wonder and love and passion as he touched her, curious touches that would leave her gasping and clutching his wrist. Hilda didn’t often touch herself. The potential to be walked in on was too great in a house with a sister and two young witches, and she absolutely would not chance being found. Still, since Cee came into her life, she’d found that she was looking into being alone much more often.

 

Hilda whispered his name into the dark as she slid a finger inside herself, another. The sensation of being filled and stretched by her own fingers with thoughts of him in her head was too appealing to resist. She worked slowly, remembering all the times they’d been close enough that she couldn’t understand where she stopped and he began. She thought of how often he would angle his hips away from her, too considerate of her boundaries when all she’d wanted was for him to crush himself against her. She wanted him to hear her, wanted to hear the way he’d say her name as he did this for her. The thought of him saying her name into her center had her clenching around her fingers. Hilda added a third digit as the bed creaked and she slid her fingers deeper. She loved the way he said her name. She imagined how he’d been on his knees tonight, how she could have guided his mouth to her, and the image had her cumming.

 

Eyes squeezed shut to let the waves of pleasure course through her, Hilda circled her clit with slick fingers and sighed. She felt positively sinful. In her mind’s eye, she imagined Cee smiling at her from between her legs, his face wet with her cum. How she’d love to see that. With one final circle over her clit, she spoke the spell to clean herself up and pulled her underwear back on. She stretched out over the covers and settled back into the pillows, satisfied, but alone. Quashing the thought that she should call him or magic herself over there, she sighed once more. She had the opening shift in a few hours to accommodate the classes she taught at the Academy, but she didn’t want to go. All she wanted was to lie in bed with him. That, or take the closing shift. She missed ending the day with him, listening to vintage music while they cleaned up the store.

 

He was always so unassumingly sexy at the end of the day with his sleeves rolled up and a few more of his buttons open at the neck. Even from before he’d explained himself, she’d loved watching him sweep and add up the numbers from the till. Cee was so endearing the way he’d rub his tired eyes and smile at her, his dimples more prominent when there weren’t as many people. Sometimes when he didn’t think she was looking, he’d lip synch along to the music, singing into whatever cleaning supply he had in hand - the broom, spray bottles, she even caught him doing a duet with one of the figurines once.

 

Curling up on her side, Hilda imagined him there with her and how he’d wrap her up in his arms. They always seemed to fit so well together and she loved the way he settled his cheek against her hair. She closed her eyes and brought the blanket in closer to herself. When they were finally together, she wouldn’t be so cold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So.............. that was that. I know we all know how Hilda feels about sex etc, but I personally believe that she'd do a little self exploration before the main event. She was obviously interested in getting things going on Valentine's Day, and if things were different ( aka mortal AU that ya girl is thinking up ) they might have gone all the way, but another part of me feels like it may have all been a precursor to things down the line. In my canon they've yet to have sex, but anyway, yes. This was a chapter. 
> 
> We'll be seeing Cee's side of things in a bit, and possibly a morning after type situation when they both go in to work the next day. 
> 
> If you have any prompts for things you'd like me to write, feel free to drop them below! One word prompts are great, too, just let me know!


	7. Strain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dr. Cerberus has a difficulty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoo buddy - yall really seemed to like that last chapter! Thank you everyone who's been reading, I appreciate all of you! Here we have Cee trying to figure out some things on his own. I don't like it nearly as much as the last chapter, but it's been sitting in my drafts for a while and I just need it posted so I can move on lol. I promise future chapters of this same matter will be greatly improved from this one - it was a first time kind of thing for me, so it's not as good as I'd like it to be, but as always - 
> 
> Enjoy the read!

Hanging up the call with a fond smile on his face, Cee stepped into the shower he’d started running before Hilda had called him. Part of him had thought to ignore the ring, but then he’d seen it was her name glowing on his screen. They hadn’t spent enough time together recently, but with her running the mortuary, working at the shop, and leading the coven and Academy with Zelda, he could hardly demand more of her time. Cee had said that she could do away with her shifts at the shop, but she’d have none of it. He’d suggested that she take more of the morning shifts when she could instead so that she could have more time for her classes in the evenings, but he had to admit he hated it. It was hard enough having not seen her to keep his secret safe, but now that they were in a relationship, he ached a bit only having her around every couple of days. Cee did feel terrible for having taken out his frustrations on a customer and nearly running them out of the store for crinkling the page of a comic today, but it was all he could do. 

 

_ He would apologize to them the next time they came back into the shop.  _

 

This afternoon had been one of the few times that he’d been alone with her in as many weeks, and he’d done his best not to seem too eager. Her idea of an afternoon tea with him had been sweet, and he’d never had high tea before - outside of the play tea parties that his nieces had thrown when they were little. Hilda had brought over little cakes and sandwiches and had shown him how to lay out a proper tea service. She’d been absolutely adorable and he’d loved the teacher voice she used whenever she was instructing him. It was the same one she used whenever they had their cooking lessons together and he knew he could take instruction from her any day of the week. He’d loved the way she’d smiled at him when he’d prepared her tea just right and he’d nipped at her fingers when she offered him a bite of her scone. Their quiet afternoon had been nice, and just the way he loved to take her in. There was just something about Hilda in her moments of easy contentment that he couldn’t get enough of. The way she sighed into her tea, settled back into the sofa, even the way she pushed her hair away from her eyes that made his heart clench.

 

Now that it was late in the evening and he was hopping into the shower, the demon inside him was taking those thoughts and putting a spin on them that Cee didn’t necessarily find unappealing. The incubus nearly always had something to say whenever Hilda was near him, but ever since she’d gifted him the Damascus steel bracelet, it had gotten even easier to stop him before he could get a word in. Yet, with the way the warm water ran over him that reminded him of how Hilda would stroke her hands along his chest, Cee found he didn’t want to resist. He remembered how her cardigan had been slipping off her shoulder as she’d been telling him about the goings on with the Academy this afternoon and the demon conjured up images of her pushing off the fabric, requesting that he give her shoulders a little rub. He’d done so a few times, and had appreciated the eyeful of her chest he’d gotten in return. Cee would admit that he felt a bit guilty about how often her chest was in his line of sight, but there really was nothing he could do about it with her being so much shorter than him. He did his best to keep his eyes up, but the sight of her breasts was one he couldn’t ignore for very long. In the fantasy the incubus conjured up, Hilda took one of his hands and encouraged him to slide it beneath her neckline with her beautiful blue eyes sparkling at him.

 

Ripping his hands away from himself and throwing the lever to as cold as the water could get, Cee groaned. The water pelted him with icy drops as the image faded from his vision and the demon screamed its protests in the back of his mind. She was coming over. It wouldn’t do to have her find him with a raging hard on or to hear him hit his orgasm in the shower. From the brief peek he’d had of her room he knew that she read romance novels from the way she had three stacked up perfectly on her bedside table, but the thought of her catching him when they’d barely made it past second base was embarrassing. What’s more - he didn’t want to embarrass her. He knew that experiencing sexual interactions was new to her and he didn’t want to scare her off with how much he wanted her. She wasn’t innocent, he knew that, but he only wanted things to go as far as she wanted them, and she was going to be arriving soon. Nearly just as he’d stepped into his bedroom and had toweled off most of the wet from his hair did he hear her calling for him. 

 

Her sweet voice ringing out and clearing his head of all the indecent thoughts that nearly had him spiraling, Cee ensured that his towel was secure before meeting her out in the living room. The way her eyes moved over him wasn’t lost on him, but if he dwelled too much on how she was undressing him with her gaze alone, they would never find her glasses. Still, he couldn’t help himself when he went in on the couch a little bit more aggressively than he really needed to. He could feel the way her gaze was tracing over him and he squashed down the incubus and his own desires inside him. It would be too easy to bump into something and have his towel drop, too easy to apologize for the mishap and have her take him in. She came here for his help in finding her glasses, and help he would give her. When she bustled away from him, Cee took a deep breath. Much as he wanted her to approve of him and like what she saw, perhaps it really was better that they were seeing less of each other. 

 

That thought barely forming in his mind before he remembered exactly where her glasses had gone to, Cee snatched them up from the fridge and held them for her to see. He loved being the one to do things for her, but the sight before him had his brow creasing and him dropping onto his knees. 

 

“You’re scaring me, sweetheart.  _ Talk to me.  _ What’s - ”

 

He saw her shake her head and felt absolutely useless. The demon inside him began to whisper, but Cee stopped him. What was so important about the way she smelled when she obviously wasn’t doing well?

 

“Sorry -  _ sorry, I’m fine. _ Just have a bit of a headache.” She waved a hand and his worry eased just the smallest bit. “Thank you for the help, love. I’ll just pop back and whip myself up a little something.”

 

Sidling out of the chair with him still on his knees, Hilda reached for her glasses, but he stopped her with a hand over her own.

 

“I have some of that headache balm that you made for me the other day, just give me a sec to - ”

 

His hand on her opposite side, he made to reach up into the cabinet for the balm, but he felt her stiffen and snatch her glasses away. Hilda didn’t tend to pull away from him when she wasn’t feeling well. The only time she ever  _ really  _ pulled away was when he was tickling her. Cee moved to turn her around in his arms as his worry mounted once more, but she cut him off. 

 

“No, it’s alright, really. I’ll be okay,” she said as a blush rushed over her cheeks and chest, and the demon inside pushed up against his barriers. “But thank you, you’re always so thoughtful.”

 

“Just call me if you need anything, promise?”

 

Hilda nodded, her smile dim. “I promise.”

 

With that, she  _ poofed  _ out of his arms and he sighed, bending down to press his forehead against the countertop. Hilda was wonderful, but she did tend to take it upon herself not to tell others how she was feeling at times. He wanted her to tell him how she was feeling, the good and the bad, but if she wasn’t wanting to share that with him, he wouldn’t push her. He’d see her at work tomorrow, so he’d check in on her then. Hopefully, things wouldn’t get too out of hand and she could have an easy morning. 

 

_ You’re an idiot.  _

 

Cee huffed, irritated that the incubus had fought out of the mental blocks while he’d been worrying about Hilda.

 

“What’ve I done now?”

 

_ It’s what you didn’t do - couldn’t you see she wanted you?  _

 

“Looking at me and,” Cee paused, cleared his throat. “Wanting me are two completely different things. Besides, she’s not feeling well, so don’t even try to - ”

 

_ She doesn’t have a headache, you idiot mortal. It was all a ruse to run back home.  _ Cee could all but hear the demon’s smirk inside his mind. _ Too bad she didn’t run to your bed instead. _

 

“Do  _ not  _ talk about her like that.”

 

_ She wanted you, and you let her slip away. _

 

Cee thought back to when she was beside him.  _ Had she wanted him? _ She’d been more reserved than usual, but he’d thought that was all due to her preoccupation with finding her glasses. Turning out the lights, he hung up his towel in the bathroom and made his way back to his bedroom thinking about all the times they’d kissed. Whenever they’d gotten into those particular situations before, there’d been a great deal of teasing involved from both of them. Surely if she’d been interested in starting something up tonight, she would’ve said? The incubus touched on another memory, and Cee stilled. 

 

On the night of the Greendale Thirteen when he’d walked her home, she’d barely looked at him for the latter half of the trip and hadn’t met his eyes. She’d been so reserved he’d thought that she was tired from all the commotion, but then she’d kissed him. Cee sprawled out bare on his bed and sighed. He had hoped -  _ dreamed  _ \- of kissing Hilda for so many weeks before then, but he’d never thought that they’d get that far. For her safety, he’d done his best not to think about her in that way too often, but then she’d kissed him. It had been so unexpected, so completely  _ her  _ that he distinctly remembered forgetting how to breathe. Her plush lips pressed to his, her hair grazing his cheek, the way she’d leaned into him and he’d leaned into her before she’d pulled away. The self doubt. Her shy smile. 

 

Cee sat up. 

 

“I really am an idiot.”

 

_ It’s what I’m always telling you. _

 

“Can you just leave me alone?”

 

_ No, and I’m not sorry about it, but from how wet she was, she doesn’t want to be alone either. _

 

“How would you even know?”

 

_ An incubus always knows.  _

 

“You’re lying.”

 

_ I’m a sex demon. There’s more effort in me  _ not  _ knowing.  _ The demon hummed a pleased note.  _ She might be touching herself right now. _

 

“Alright, enough - ”

 

_ Just think of it. Can you see her? Tip toeing into the spare bedroom and locking the door. Taking off her cardigan and dropping it to the floor, stepping out of those little red shoes. Unbuttoning her dress - _

 

“Stop.”

 

The demon was silenced, but his work was done as Cee flopped back down onto his bed with his erection in hand. Over the years, he’d found the most effective method of shutting up the demon had been to take matters into his own hands, as it were. As per their arrangement, Cee wouldn’t be disturbed while he attended to himself and for that, he was thankful. All he wanted to think about was Hilda. There were so many things he loved about her, so many things that he found attractive. He loved her laugh and the way her nose would scrunch up when she was particularly delighted by something. He was attracted to her cleverness and how she always had a kind word for everyone she met. 

 

He moved his hand over himself as he thought of her. The soft, round feel of her against his hands and the way she’d sigh into his ear whenever he held her close. How he’d sometimes catch her adjusting the clips of her garter belt and he’d see a flash of her thigh before she dropped the hem of her dress. The way she curled her fingers into his hair and held him against her mouth, her neck, her breasts.  _ He loved when she pulled his hair. _ Behind closed eyes, he imagined her there beside him with her small hand sliding over his cock, the other threading through his curls. He envisioned the way her curious fingertips would caress each inch of him, the way her eyes would drink him in. His hips bucked at the thought of her running her thumb over the head of him, promising to give him what he wanted if he just asked. He could feel her smile against his cheek and the light scent of her hair beneath his nose. How it might feel to have her settle herself onto his lap, grind down on him, and smile. He imagined her kissing his chest and moving down, further, lower - her pink lips on him.

 

Crying out her name as his back bowed off the bed, Cee groaned, turning his face into his pillow. The familiar hot warmth of his cum spread over his hand and flowed out onto his belly. He lay there breathing deeply thinking of her perfect, perfect lips and how he wanted to feel them absolutely everywhere. He sighed as he got out of bed. It would be some time until they got to that point, but he couldn’t help that he wanted her. She was so lovely, so sexy. It took everything in him not to steal her away into the storage room for the entirety of her shifts - although they had spent quite a few lunch breaks in there anyway. He stepped into the shower once again and let his head hang as the water ran over him. What would she think of him if she knew what he’d done? Would she be repulsed? Disgusted? A part of him hoped she might be excited, but that might be a reach. Then again, she couldn’t fault him for what she might be doing herself. The thought had him groaning. 

 

That would be a fantasy for another day. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sir? SIR. Anyway -
> 
> Next chapter will be them at the store after their late night solos, so we'll see how that goes. 
> 
> Just wanted to let yall know that I'm working on a couple of other CAOS fics right now, and I'll probably be sporadically posting across all of them when I have them up and going, so I hope that's cool with all of you! 
> 
> As always, please feel free to drop a prompt or a comment!

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [By Any Other Name](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18938152) by [anupalya](https://archiveofourown.org/users/anupalya/pseuds/anupalya)




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